The selfish one
by Klarolinejibchag
Summary: What if Caroline met Klaus when she was still human? Read and find out for yourself.
1. prologue

_THE SELFISH ONE_

 _~Prologue~_

What if Caroline met Klaus when she was still human?

Caroline had recently broken up with Matt, she's depressed and deliberately wants to separate herself from everyone including her best friends for a while. Katherine is in MysticFall with the moonstones in her possession. Klaus comes after her and runs into Caroline.

Oh yes! The connection!

Story told from Caroline's POV. _(why? well, obviously cause it's easier to figure out what she's thinking compared to Klaus)_

 **A.N.:** so, uhm.. in all honesty, I like my Klaroline on the show as they are (the struggle that Caroline was having between her feelings for Klaus and her loyalty to her friends in addition to all that "let me show you what the world has to offer" :D so I'm not aiming to change that ) but I didn't like how things ended up between them just like all of you I suppose. So let's see what happens when I add a few alterations.

I can't reveal any more details as I don't want to give too much away (in other words, I just haven't figured it all out yet :3 ).

So Klaroliners go ahead and give it a shot, but don't forget to leave a review if you like it :3 please!

 **P.S.:** Technically I'm unconditionally obsessed with them, like totally obsessed! And apparently I'm freaking out thanks to the latest Klaroline phone call! Anyone else? :D He freaking memorized everything she'd told him!

He's going to be her last love! They are definitely endgame! Right?


	2. La rencontre

**A.N.:** you all know Caroline isn't really that pathetic, so don't expect any 'love at first sight' just cause she had just broken up with Matt. As you shall see she's not even trying to impress Klaus, which will kind of make him more interested in her.

Just read it and I hope you enjoy it :)

Oh and, yes the title 'the selfish one', you'll get why I chose it from this chapter.

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 _chapter one: La Rencontre_

 _'He dragged me out of the house to the MysticGrill just to tell me he wants to break up with me? He could've sent a text. No a break up text is worse! ugh!'_ she thinks to herself as she enters the house. She saw it coming, (~ _didn't she?_ ~) considering their numerous quarrels lately because Matt never stops comparing her with Elena and making her feel inferior to her best friend. She drops her bag on the entry table, barely standing on her feet, her mom comes out of the kitchen, in a rush, still wearing her uniform.

"Caroline, glad you're back early" not noticing how depressed her daughter seems, "I've got some work to do so I'll step by the office and then I'll come back to pick you up around 6pm, ok?" Liz takes her keys from the table where her daughter is standing and heads to the door when Caroline calls for her.

"Mom wait,"

Liz closes her eyes in frustration knowing she inevitably has to have this conversation all over again.

"We've gone through this already! I'm not in the mood to go!" Caroline urges with a brittle tone.

Liz turns around with an appealing look "Sweetheart, can't you put your personal issues aside for a while and take responsibility for once!"

"So you also think I'm" she pauses for a moment, staring at her feet "selfish..?" her voice's sounding very low.

"Honey," a desperate look of sorrow appears on Liz's face "no! Of course not. I just…"

Caroline interrupts her mom "fine! I'll go" and then she grabs her bag and heads to her room.

She enters her room, feeling so tired and dizzy, she falls on bed burying her face in a pillow. ' _how did I end up like this? why am I never good enough for anyone? oh god! I really am so insecure'_ she thinks to herself again, "ugh!" a sigh escapes her mouth.

She keeps blaming herself until she gets a call from her mom telling her to get ready!

She sits up, taking a deep breath, she shakes her head a little, "be responsible! Right!"

She gets up trying to be as cheerful as she was in the morning, when she thought Matt had a surprise for her (~yeah, saw it coming~). She opens her wardrobe and searches for something to wear. "too bright, too dull ..." she murmurs as she goes through the dresses, "uhm maybe, no, I don't want to look broken-hearted or pathetic! I want to look ok. No, not just ok, I want to seem great!" she stops for a moment, _'Am I really ok?'_

"ah! this is the one!" holding a double-bow floor-length black dress.

Liz comes back home and gets ready too then they leave the house together. With her mom quiet behind the wheels, the drive seemed to take ages. It would've been easier for Caroline to talk about what's bothering her with her mom if Liz didn't indirectly call her selfish.

.:.

 _At the Founders' hall_

The place doesn't look too crowded some locals with a few strangers, and both Elena and Bonnie are there. Caroline tried her best to avoid them, she doesn't want any break-up-sympathy. It has always made her feel pathetic and weak. They finally catch her in spite of her efforts.

"Care! Are you avoiding us or something?" Elena asks.

She turns back forcing a smile on her face, "avoiding you? Why would I do that" she studies their expressions wondering if they believe her, but with the frowning on Bonnie's face it's obvious that they don't, "I was just busy!"

"We met Matt today" Says Bonnie, trying to get Caroline to talk.

"Oh right! Matt! I'll check if he's here" She dodges Bonnie's circuitous question and heads out, leaving her best friends wondering helplessly.

She walks out of the front door to grab some air, but that doesn't really help, all she can't think of is how much of a loser she must seem to everyone now. Plus, her mom is too busy to even notice. Tears stream down her cheeks and she just buries her face in her hands.

"Having a spot of bother, love?" a honeyed voice interrupts her. She tries to wipe her tears fast and turns around to see this handsome (~or rather hot~) man. It's hard to see in the dark with a blurry view ( _~thanks to the crying session she had just had~_ ) but it's quite obvious that his hair is blond, and he's tall probably 5'11. Plus, he clearly has a great fashion taste!

Before she could say anything he takes off his jacket and places it on her shoulders

"Now," he bends his feet so that he's now sitting in front of her and his gaze meets hers, "I heard a woman called Katherine Pierce had recently moved in town, do you have any idea where I can find her?"

Ha! A vampire! A British vampire!

"Sorry to disappoint you" she stands up and waits till he does the same "I'm on vervain!" she chuckles a bit then takes off his jacket and pushes it into his chest "and to answer your question, no I don't know where Katherine Petrova-Pierce, or whatever she likes to call herself, is!" that leaves the vampire in total shock, ' _she's not afraid! Not in the slightest!_ ' his inner voices notice.

"one more thing, you do realize you have the asking-politely option instead of compulsion, right?"

He smiles to himself as he watches her walk into the hall, _interesting_. Something about her catches his attention, her beauty ( _~duhh!~_ ), her liveliness, simply her vulnerability, but most of all her confidence, she knew he was a vampire but didn't even flinch! ( _~though it might just be her bad mood's doing~_ )

He follows her inside, he scans the hall searching for the beautiful blonde human, and there she is, standing in front of a hanging painting, so he approaches her from behind, watching closely as she shows interest in what she's seeing.

 _µova_ _ξιά_

"the hell is that supposed to mean?" her voice is soft and barely heard, _(~_ _for humans_ _~)_.

He takes a step forward so that he's standing just one step behind her "Monaxia, it's Greek word actually and it means loneliness".

"And I thought you were British!" she turns left and looks over at him, ' _God! He's so freaking handsome!'_ a voice in her head tells her.

"Oh I am! But there's nothing wrong with learning a couple more languages, don't you think?"

"I don't think anything," her arms crossed over her chest "now excuse me!"

.:.

Caroline stays out of sight for two days, literally locking herself home, avoiding Bonnie and Elena's never-stopping calls. When her friends finally got too worried they decided to go to her house to check on her, she begged her mom to tell them that she went out.

A day later she wakes up feeling like she's choking, she can't take it anymore. She clearly needs to go out.

But where to go?

Matt's working at the MysticGrill, Elena and Bonnie could be anywhere for all she knows.

She really needs to go out. She might have a mental break down if she doesn't.

 _'The forest'_

For a second it doesn't seem like a bad idea. Actually, any place where she could be alone will do. She'll simply have a walk to clear her head of all the negativity and then come back. And so she does!

 _And guess who she runs into!_

 _bingo!_

 _(~if she knew who he is she would so run for the hills!~)_

Instead,

"Don't you have anything better to do than stalking me?" Caroline sounds a bit rude as she sees the now familiar not-so-welcomed face.

"Aren't you a bit rude and arrogant, love?" his voice is softly-spoken, he doesn't sound offended at all.

She rolls her eyes, "aren't you a bit too nosy?"

 _(~ouch!~)_

 _(~That's it! He'll rip her throat out!~)_

He grins instead, "only when it's worth it!"

She chuckles slightly then brushes his compliment by rolling her eyes at him again.

But that doesn't hold him back, "do you have a name?"

She turns around and starts walking away, "I do!" her voice is so taut.

He intends to follow her when she stops him with a brittle voice and a sad look, "don't please! I need some space!"

And he complies with her wish generously.

.:.

About a week later, Matt's day off, she decided to go to the MysticGrill.

She drops herself on one of the seats and miserably crosses her hands on the table and lets her head fall on them. And that's when he swiftly takes a seat next to her, "over a week and you're still moping?" the same honeyed British voice hits her ears, "I reckon it's a break up then? Am I wrong, Caroline?"

 _(~oh good God!~)_

The way her name came out of his mouth, _Caroline,_ the way it sounded rolling off his tongue, was a flattery to her like she was never called by her name before.

"And you know my name!" her voice is a bit thick as she's not lifting her head yet, "should I be impressed or something?"

"I don't know love, are you?" his voice is sort of smoky.

"who did you compel?" faking a bit of interest.

"Actually I took your advice," he pauses a little "and asked politely".

After hearing that she turns her head left and looks at him with the I'm-not-buying-it expression on her face, but she doesn't say much .

He orders a hot-chocolate for her, "there you go," he pushes the drink to her side "drink!" he urges.

"Seriously? Is that the best you could offer someone this depressed?" she sighs, "you nearly began to impress me but" frowning slightly at him.

"Well, you're technically still underage sweetheart!" he smirks widely knowing that he definitely got her attention "I might offer you something better a week from now" his voice is so silvery but wicked in a charming way.

(~Oh waw~)

She jumps in her seat and sits up. ' _He went further and asked about my birth date? Now that's impressive'_. "What else do you know?"

"Not much! I'd like to hear the rest from you though!" the wicked tone is back again.

"Look, I'm very insecure and have trust issues, don't expect me to spell my beans to a stranger!"

"Is that really who you are? Or you're just playing a role you've been given?"

"What do you mean?" her voice is low and she seems puzzled. Of course she gets his question she just never really gave it a thought, and why would she when it's her closest friends who called her that. They wouldn't lie to her or fake things up.

"I mean" he leans forward and looks into her eyes "do you really think you're insecure or that's what people think of you?"

"Well," she sighs, a long sigh, "I have no idea"

He leans back and sits comfortably in his seat, trying to figure her out. _(~it shouldn't be hard for a thousand years old original to see how broken she is now~)_ And he does, however,he wants her to talk, to admit it so that he can help her.

"You can tell me all about it, love" his soft voice is so soothing to her ears, it makes her want to trust him, and tell him about her messed up life.

She looks over at him, her eyes are a bit teary, but she manages to force a smile up her face, "It's a bit complicated" her voice is so thick.

"I've got all the time in the world sweetheart! Go ahead!"

"well, where should I start? My father left me and my mom when I was little, he turned out to be gay. Not that I have a problem with gays but you know... My mom is working all the time, we barely even talk lately. My friends call me the control freak, and they say I'm insecure and too selfish. Even Matt." she stops and looks over at him and she realizes he needs some explanation to keep up "Matt is my ex-boyfriend," she explains "and apparently I wasn't good enough for him, I was never good enough for anyone actually, I'm never anyone's first choice. When I thought I was for once, I turned up to nothing but a tool, the guy just manipulated and used me to get to Elena, my best friend. God! Now I'm sounding like an attention-seeker!" she rolls her eyes at her own misery, not realizing that a tear has escaped her eye until too late. She lifts her right hands and wipes it out. _'He must think you're the most pathetic person on the planet now! Keep it together Caroline!'_ the voices in her head tell her.

He watches her attempt to look strong in front of him, however, he can't help but to lift his hand and place it on top of her left hand that's still resting on the table in sympathy.

She stares at his hand for a moment, and then she moves her gaze to meet his "and here I am, talking to a complete stranger about my personal issues to a stranger, how pathetic is that!" she frowns slightly, slipping her left hand from under his, and then she throws her hands in the air in annoyance.

"Ouch! We've met three times already, love" he says cheekily, trying to make her smile.

She grins slightly "well, I don't even know your name so yes you're technically still a stranger"

"All you had to do is ask!"

She chuckles, "will you do me the great honor and tell me your name Mr stranger?" she says sarcastically.

"Klaus."

"Klaus? never heard that before!" she tilts her head to the side "but, pleased to know you, Klaus!" she is, as in she really is glad she met him. He was a good listener, just the kind that she needed, someone who would listen to her till the very end and not just someone who would pick on her every word and preach her.

He leans back in his seat again grinning widely in response, "now then sweetheart," his expressions become more serious "back to Katerina, what do you know about her?"

"oh" Caroline laughs at his question, "you know" crossing her hands over her chest "for a second I thought you were different! Turned out you're all the same!" sounding really disappointed. He sort of reminded her of Damon and his manipulative ways, and that sent shivers down her spine. She doesn't hate vampires as beings, she wants to believe that they didn't really have a choice, she wishes they were all more like Stefan however.

He knows exactly what she means, it's obvious that she thinks that he used her or faked interest in her. But he didn't. He was listening closely and he even sympathized with her. _(~asking politely and kindness has never been his thing. BUT in spite of her attitude with him, he hasn't killed her yet for crying out loud. She should appreciate that!~)_

"and just to get you off my shoulders, I don't know much about her and I don't know where she is at the moment." she grabs her blazer and heads out, leaving him to his regretful thoughts _(~or that's at least what she hoped~)._

 _._

 _._

 **A.N.:** oookay... that was a bit long, wasn't it?

anyway, I know you'd think that the Caroline we know isn't really that willing to trust a complete stranger but I thought, you know, considering her status she might just want to let it all out to anyone, well not anyone exactly but to someone who's willing to listen.

That was chapter one, I can't figure out how I'm feeling about this for the moment, but I'm pretty excited about what's coming ( it's still in my head basically but I assure you it is there and it will be fun).


	3. un anniversaire inoubliable

**A.N.:** for fic purposes, let's assume that no one except Katherine, _and Caroline of course_ , know what Klaus looks like! :D

 _chapter two : un anniversaire inoubliable_

The next day she wakes up feeling better, _a lot better,_ talking it out does really help, even though he was a complete stranger, and ended up wanting something in return. She gets her head together and has some talk with herself. She's a senior so she ought to keep it together! She has to graduate! Plus she's the head cheerleader and head of the prom committee and on top of all that MissMystic is coming shortly.

But first of all she needs to apologize to her friends first, she texts both; Elena and Bonnie, _'Catch you at school today!'_

.:.

Walking down the hall she notices her best friends near the lockers she heads for them and takes a deep breath "before you guys say anything, I'd like to apologize, I'm sorry for pushing you away; dodging your calls and stuff. But don't worry, I'm totally fine now!"

Bonnie and Elena look at each other in confusion and surprise, but end up nodding since they don't really have a choice, "okay! As long as you're fine, apology accepted!" Elena finally breaks the silence.

"Thanks! So, my birthday! Uhm, next week! ready? Cause I'm not. I don't even have any plans! I'm freaking out!"

"oh! Right! The pre-birthday mental breakdown!" Bonnie mocks her but she regrets it when she sees Caroline sigh and frown slightly.

Elena scolds Bonnie with her look, and then turns her attention to Caroline "relax Care! It will be fine!".

"Exactly Elena! It shouldn't be just fine! It's my birthday for crying out loud! It should be tremendous and unforgettable!".

"We'll figure something out, don't worry," Bonnie tries to calm her, "it's everyone's favorite day of the year after all" she says

Caroline giggles and hugs both of them feeling reassured and grateful to her best friends.

.:.

For the rest of the week the girls discuss where Caroline's birthday party should be held, since her mom wouldn't allow it, Elena suggests asking Stefan if they could hold it at the Salvatores'. Bonnie doesn't like the idea, _she doesn't really like the Salvatores themselves or vampires at all, she says it has to do with her witchy nature cause witches just naturally hate vampires,_ but they eventually agree to the plan since they don't really have many options.

For the rest of the week, Caroline attended all of her classes and cheer practices, _everything's back to normal_ , she even went up to Matt and told him that she understands it didn't work, so no hard feelings.

.:.

 _Meanwhile at the Salvatore's house_

"What do you mean you don't care!?" Katherine's loud voice fills the room and annoys Damon to the fullest. That's sort of her charm; she can piss off everyone without even saying a word.

"I mean" Damon snarls at her in return "you brought this on yourself, it's your own shit deal with it by yourself, Katherine!"

"Damon wait" Stefan, however, shows some interest "Katherine, are you saying that all this time you had the moonstone in your possession?!"

She turns to Stefan, the nicer guy of the two brothers, she knows he's with Elena now, but she has always had her tricks to get to him, she's the one who turned him after all, and taught him a lot basically, "yes Stefan, and now Klaus is after me, he wants it"

Damon throws his hands in the air in annoyance, "then you give it to him!"

"so that he could use it to wake his dormant wolf-side and render himself even more lethal and indestructible?" Katherine narrows her eyes and flicks her hair over her shoulder "Hell no!"

Damon rolls his eyes, "we don't give a shit! We have no business with Klaus!"

"Klaus might be in town already! So trust me when I say you do have business with him!" Katherine ignores Damon once more and focuses on Stefan who is more interested in Klaus-related issues since he, like Damon, knows a bit about him, just the basics actually; the heartless merciless original vampire, _(~probably worse than the ripper version of Stefan~)._ "Look Stefan we need to keep this as far as possible from Klaus' hands!"

.:.

 _The awaited night_

Caroline is still at home, getting ready. Bonnie said she'll pick her up and Elena is already at Stefan's place waiting for them. She looks at herself in the mirror and smiles, feeling good about herself and her life as a whole. _Life seems more different and brighter when she's not depressed_. Except the fact that she doesn't have a boyfriend and her father left them, her life is alright, not that she's desperate for having a boyfriend cause obviously her friends and mother are always there for her.

 _Not really._

The sound of a car horn snaps her from her on-the way-to-depression-again thoughts. Bonnie's here to pick her up, _and somehow she's never late_ , Caroline had always admired that about her best friend! Her mother isn't home yet, but she'd called her already and asked for permission and Liz agreed, she didn't mind her daughter spending her birthday with her friends at the Gilberts' house with an adult _-Jenna-_ supervision. _Little did she know!_

On the way, the girls talk about Elena and Stefan, and how they seemed more like 'Beauty and the beast'. It was the only topic Caroline could bring up to avoid the talk about herself.

When they finally reach their destination, Caroline didn't expect it to be a huge crowded party. In fact, she thought it would just be her and her friends _-including Matt cause she invited him herself, as an attempt to show him she's moved on._ She couldn't been more wrong, however, cause apparently Elena had other plans for her, she invited many people, from their school basically.

Bonnie takes the lead as they walk towards the front door. Once they're there she swings the door open and takes a step back allowing Caroline to enter first. "Surprise!" her friends in the front line and a bunch of familiar strangers in the back, "Happy birthday Caroline!" everyone screams at the same time, _compelled to do so she guesses_. As much as she hates compulsion, she doesn't mind it if it's for a good cause such as her BIRTHDAY!

Elena steps forward and whispers to Caroline, "I offer you many potential boyfriends!" she winks, "happy birthday Caroline Forbes!"

Caroline just knew Elena would think of something like that, if someone knows how fragile she is, specially after a break up then it's Elena! She's happy about it though, cause she totally likes birthdays. They make her feel special and loved, by everyone. Tonight is no exception, her friends have out done themselves for her, even Matt, he was responsible for the music and so far he hasn't disappointed her! Bonnie and Stefan took care of the preparations and embellishment and it looks amazing. Which leaves Elena with the Cake.

The birthday-girl enjoys herself to the fullest, savoring each moment of her special night. And she feels worthy of it. Everything is just perfect.

A couple of hours into the part, Elena says she'll get the cake. Caroline realizes Elena is taking too much time and decides to go check on her. And what a view she finds before her. The charming British vampire strangling her best friend!

"Klaus!" Caroline cries out, "That's not Katherine! Let her go!" she says with an appealing tone.

Klaus loosens his grip a bit and turns to Caroline with a questioning look.

She takes a hint and explains, "that's my friend Elena! Katherine's doppelganger!"

He directly releases the poor Elena who is coughing continuously and heavily because of his tough grip. Caroline rushes to her

"My apologies, love" he looks at Caroline "I miss took her for Katherine".

 _He really should be apologizing to Elena instead._

Caroline narrows her eyes at him and shakes her head, "she's the one you should be apologizing to, you know! You almost killed her!" the scolding is almost too obvious in her voice. She helps Elena to stand up on her feet and suggest that she go find Stefan. Elena nods and leaves.

 _Did he just ruin her perfect night?_

She shoots him a reproachful pout, "ok now what are you doing here?"

"I'd like to ask you the same question!" his voice is so calm, it makes her wonder how he could be calm all the time, "you know for someone who hates vampires you're quite involved with them!"

She crosses her arms over her chest and places a firm scowl on her face, "the owners of this house are my friends! And we're holding my birthday party here" _God! How is he able to make her respond to his question that easily! She blames his soothing voice and perfect choice of words!_

"You deserve more! More than this!"

She sinks in his words for a moment, of course she doesn't need some stranger vampire to tell her so, she knows she deserves better, _a better life,_ but he doesn't have the right to say so!"And who you are to judge!"

He doesn't reply, and just smirks! Caroline rolls her eyes, not that she doesn't like his smirk or something, she finds it way too charming actually, in a way that if things were different she would definitely have a crush on him immediately.

Quickly, his smirk turns into a mischievous grin when he notices the others walk into the room, "Stefan Salvatore!" his voice is loud, loud enough to make them freeze in place, "it's good to see you again!"

Everyone's eyes widen in shock. _What? Klaus knows Stefan?_ And they all move their eyes to Stefan, waiting for an explanation, except for Caroline who is completely clueless now.

"You know me?"

"We'll have time for catching up! Now if this" Klaus points at Elena, "is just a shadow, then where is THE Katherine?" Klaus' voice sounds a bit sharp and scares Elena who knows who he is now.

"Who knows!" Damon answers with a fake smile on his face.

"Ah, the less preferred Salvatore! Perhaps you'll tell me" Klaus leaves Caroline's side and strangles Damon in a split second. "WHERE is Katherine!" his voice is so taut as he looks into Damon's eyes.

"I'm on vervain! Damon's choked voice is barely even understood.

Out of rage, Klaus throws Damon on a table causing it to break instantly. Right when he was about to go for Elena again, Caroline cries out "Klaus stop!". Hearing her tender scared voice, he stops and looks at her, "Please!" her voice is thicker now.

"Alright!" the smoky smirk creeps back to his face, "that should make an impression already! Well then you have till tomorrow to bring Katherine to me!"

Everyone just sort of freezes in place. Confusion fills the room, along with some fear, this guy just knocked Damon down like he was a little kid!

Before he leaves, he approaches Caroline and whispers to her ears, "I already got you a little present! Happy birthday, love!"

.

.

 **A.N.:** I'm going to sound a bit cocky now and say I like where this is going! :3 Anyone else?

Let me know! ;) I'd like to know your thoughts about each chapter!

Btw, thanks for reviewing and following guys, it really encourages me :D


	4. J'ai confiance en vous

**A.N.:** I think I'm going to get some criticism for this chapter for not being so true to Klaus' character :3 but it's ok. This is how I picture my Klaroline! :D

I still hope you enjoy it though.

 _chapter three: J'ai confiance en vous_

Caroline tosses in bed, unable to sleep. He doesn't get to break in, ruin her night, and then hope to impress her with this breathtaking and obviously expensive bracelet. _Cause it won't work! At all! She's way smarter than that!_ But in all honesty, she absolutely likes it. _How could anyone not like it?_ For crying out loud, it looks of royalty! It makes her wonder how he got it. Stole it maybe, or took it away by force like he did tonight. He might just be super rich for all she knows. But that's not the point. She can't accept such gifts from him. Not after what he did to her friends, to her. _But it's really beautiful._

No, she has to give it back. Not just the bracelet, she's going to give him a piece of her mind as well. He can't just show up in her town and cause a mess. Thanks to him, everyone was suspicious of her, specially Damon for sure, if it wasn't for Elena who gave her a chance to explain and she did, _briefly,_ since there isn't really much to explain. All she knows about him is his name and the fact that he's a vampire. _Right, a vampire!_ She's no match for him. Maybe she'll ask politely. It worked earlier, twice!

She looks at the bracelet one last time before putting in the drawer and falls asleep.

.:.

The first thing she does the next morning is head back to the Salvatore boarding house. She got a call from Elena saying that Katherine has some information to share. Caroline assumes it has to do with Klaus.

Once there, Caroline notices that everyone's there except for Katherine herself. Katherine likes to show up late always. _(~to make an entry and get all the eyes on her~)_ She arrives fifteen minutes later.

"Finally" says Damon, narrowing his eyes at her.

"Everyone's here! Great, let's start today's class then!" says Katherine in her ever arrogant tone. But there's one thing that Caroline herself admires about Katherine, how she turns any place to her own personal runway. She's renowned for her awesome sense of fashion. A true fashionista!

"Stefan!" Katherine calls for Stefan to join her in the lecture, running her tongue across her teeth trying to tease Elena.

Stefan stands next to Katherine, ahead of the rest of them, and starts explaining "Klaus is an original, i.e. the first vampire ever. Rumor has it that he is also a werewolf"

"Is that even possible?" Bonnie asks, looking confused.

"You're the witch! You tell us!" Damon scoffs.

"We don't know for cartain. It started like a myth, his mother casted a spell that kept his werewolf side dormant." Stefan looks at all of them as he explains, "And he wants to break that curse to become a hybrid!"

"And that's where I come in. He can't break it unless he has the moonstone, which I stole from him long time ago!"

"Why don't you just give it to him and save us the trouble?" Caroline asks.

Katherine chuckles "well, I don't mind it..." she doesn't finish, Stefan interrupts her to explain, "we believe he will need something else to break the spell; the human doppelganger!"

The news falls heavily on everyone, especially Elena. Considering the amount of strength Klaus showed last night, even the Salvatore brothers won't be able to protect her.

For now, Katherine volunteers _(~is forced actually~)_ to pay Klaus a visit and try to stall him, till the others come up with a plan. She will lie to him and buy them some time by telling him she's hidden the moonstone somewhere far and that she'll get it for him in exchange for her freedom. If it sounds too selfish and Katherine-centered then he will definitely buy it.

Dealing with Katherine and the mess she caused was enough trouble to all of them. Now thanks to her, an original shows up in town threatening them.

Caroline even hates how Stefan defends the devil Katherine. To her there's no justification to killing innocent people and abusing the weaker ones. Cause people who do terrible things are just terrible people.

.:.

A day later, while Caroline's wandering in the streets she opens her handbag and glances at the splendid bracelet, feeling guilty a bit. She knows she hadn't done anything wrong but the guilt keeps creeping to her mind. Ok, maybe cause she liked the guy, _a little_. Not cause he showed too much interest in her and gifted her this gorgeous bracelet on her birthday or something.

Suddenly, Klaus comes out of nowhere and gives her his now familiar attractive grin. She stops and spins on her heels changing her direction. But he's not going to give up that easily, _is he?_ With vampire speed, he goes past her and faces her with an even wider grin. "Hello, sweetheart"

"Hey! Don't do that in public!" Caroline scolds as her eyes widen. She wants to clench her fist and hit him in the face. He sure has the guts to face her after all he's done. _And what's with the pet names anyway?_

Before he can say anything, she gives him a cruel tongue-lashing, "what else do you want now? Other than wanting to sacrifice my friend in the stupid ritual of yours. And for what? Oh yes! To gain more strength!"

"You're making assumptions, Caroline" Klaus says with a mixture of sadness and disappointment, "We all want the same thing!"

"oh really? and what's that?"

"Protecting our loved ones" he bows his head a little "by all means!" his voice is surprisingly thick.

Caroline keeps silent. She rather thinks he's telling the truth. He has no reason to lie to her. _Right?_ Plus there's a keen credibility in his voice. He's been such a gentle, soft-spoken man with her so far. That's probably why she always spills the beans to him.

"Come with me, please" Klaus requests gently "there's something I'd like to show you!"

Caroline stares at him for a moment. He looks different this time, _desperate. He won't hurt her, she believes. And why would he? He's a vampire. If he wanted to hurt her, or kill her, he would've done it long time ago._ Eventually she agrees to follow him.

Klaus takes her to his house, _a huge mansion actually_. He hasn't said a word yet, but Caroline can tell by the look on his face he won't be showing her a treasure or taking her on a tour around the house. It's something serious.

"I'm not the only original, Caroline." Klaus finally breaks the silence. He stops in front of a room and swings the door open, "I have four siblings. Our parents made us who we are and then resented us for eternity. We've been hunted by our own father for the past thousand years. I've been running from my father's rage for centuries"

"What about your siblings?"

He enters the room and stands near the door, "I had to protect them from our father, and themselves"

Caroline fallows him in. _And the scenery is a shocker!_ She sees four coffins. _Four siblings._ She clamps her hand against her mouth in shock.

"At some point, their actions were drawing too much attention to us, making it easier for Mikael to track us down. I had to put them to sleep till it was safe for them to come round" Klaus explain

She stays quiet. Random thoughts run in her head; she really knows nothing about him, she shouldn't have judged him. He's not evil like the others have portrayed him. He had to be strong for his siblings. _God! How could she be so judgmental! She's worse than Katherine and Damon!_ Caroline feels stupid for whining and chattering before him about her life the other day.

She looks at him, her eyes filled with sorrow. She can only imagine how hard it must've been for him. Daggering his siblings to save them from their own father! And she thought her life was complicated and shitty. It's nothing compared to what he's been or rather going through.

She tries giving him a soothing look and it only encourages him to tell her more. Caroline learns from him that he's not planning to kill Elena or sacrifice her, he just needs some of her blood.(*)

In all of this mess, Caroline can't help wondering why is he telling her all this. He's not exactly a trusting person just like her.

"And now you'd be wondering why I'm sharing this with you, right?" Klaus asks.

 _That's it! He's definitely reading her mind!_

She nods silently. She turns to him open-mouthed when he tells her he indeed trust her. "I'm a thousand years old, Caroline. I can tell if a person is worthy of my trust or not the moment I meet them!"

 _Oh waw!_

He trusts her! TRUSTS HER!

Her head spins. About an hour ago, she thought he despised and used her. Now he's telling her his secrets cause he actually trusts her.

Klaus then tells her he knows that the Salvatores have the moonstone and asks her, _politely_ , to convince her friends, without exposing his story, to give it to him.

"Well, you're literally asking for too much, but I'll do what I can"

"I'm sorry, love. It's either that or I'll have to hurt them."

.:.

 ***:** I don't know, maybe he has a strong witch who can channel something very powerful... just forget what happened on TVD! No questions asked! :D

 **A.N.:** Anyways, that's chapter three for ya!

How was it?


	5. indulgence

**A.N.:** Okey doke, it took me some time to finish this chapter, but I hope it was worth it, and you guys enjoy it.

 _Chapter four: indulgence_

Yesterday was a hell of a day. Caroline barely slept at night. But she's made up her mind; she's going to help him no matter what. Not cause he threatened to harm her friends, but cause she sympathizes with him. She feels sorry for him. In fact, the look on his face when he was talking about his wicked family still lingers on her mind.

In school, she tries to talk about it with Bonnie and Elena, but she just can't figure how to start. Plus she's almost sure they won't agree. Katherine Pierce and the Salvatores have brain-washed them or something. They talk about Klaus as if he were the devil's boss. They even took precautions; like vervain bombs and wooden stakes _(~not that it can kill him, they know that bit, just to protect themselves.~)_

"Care, is everything ok? You've been spaced out the whole morning" Bonnie asks as she reaches out to touch Caroline's right hand.

Caroline jumps in her seat, "Oh... nothing! lack of sleep, that's it!" she forces a smile up her face.

"And what kept you up late?" Elena asks.

"Uhm.. you know, stuff like MissMystic, my grades..."

Elena reaches for Caroline's left hand and caresses it, "we'll get through it together. Don't worry."

When their classes are finally over, Caroline gets a chance to be alone with Elena, who is more considerate than Bonnie _or that's at least what Caroline believes_.

"Elena" she calls for her friend and tries to start a small talk with her. She just can't get herself to mention the topic, but she has to. "I was wondering, what if this original vampire wasn't planning to kill you or harm you at all? Do you think Stefan and Damon would give him the stupid stone?" Caroline burbles in her frisky way, as she doesn't want to sound too serious, _yet_.

"Well, I don't know Care." Elena looks somewhat confused. "But what I know for sure is that Klaus is going to kill me the moment he gets his hands on the moonstone"

 _Right!_ That was the good-hearted Elena's opinion, what will the others' be then?

Caroline has to find a way, but certainly stealing is not an option. She'll try again, maybe with a pre-written and convincing speech. Yeah, actually, that doesn't sound bad at all.

That's it! She'll bring up the topic this afternoon when they meet with rest of the gang.

.:.

"He WILL kill her, Blondie! You don't know him!" Damon snarls.

"Well neither do you! But you choose to believe Katherine! How is she even more sincere than him?" Caroline really wants to fist her hands, instead she throws them in the air in annoyance.

"Caroline," Stefan tries to mend the situation, "it's not about who's telling the truth. We can't risk Elena's life!" Stefan's voice is wary.

"Neither can I, Stefan!" Caroline shakes her head to emphasize her point. _Come on, she wouldn't risk her best friend's life!_ "But the way I see it, he has no reason to lie to me, it's not like he can't kill all of us and get what he wants!"

For a moment, it seems like she's got Stefan to agree. Elena and Bonnie as well, judging by the confused and sort-of-optimistic look on their faces. _But Damon?_ Not really.

He somehow manages to make them drop the topic and he even drops a hint about her having a thing with Klaus. There is nothing between them. _Where did he get that from!_

Sick of Damon's unjust judgments Caroline leaves in anger and frustration. Once out of the house, she takes a deep breath and sighs in despair. It's a huge responsibility to shoulder by herself. On one hand she wants to keep her friends safe, and on the other, she really wants to help Klaus.

Her train of thoughts gets interrupted and her heart almost stopped when a stranger sneaks behind her, shuts her mouth with their hand, and in a blink of an eye takes her away, _a vampire_.

"Bitch!" Caroline groans loudly when she turns around and sees the person she hates the most currently, _Katherine Pierce_.

"Save me the drama, we need to work together!"

Caroline raises her eye brows in confusion and surprise. "What do you mean?" She moves her weight from one foot to the other, crossing her hands over her chest.

"We need to get the moonstone to Klaus!"

 _Wait! What? Wasn't she the one who wanted to hide it from him? What's going on here?_

After an unwanted conversation, turns out Katherine is indeed willing to give him the moonstone in exchange for her freedom. She's tired of running away from him. Reassured that Caroline will do her best to make Klaus forgive her, Katherine promises to bring Caroline the moonstone by tomorrow morning.

Caroline feel relieved, like a huge weight's gotten off her chest. Klaus will get what he _needs_ and her friends won't get mad at her; she's not the one who will take it. _A win-win!_

.:.

Excited about the news, Caroline texts Klaus before she goes to sleep _(~yeah! Of course they exchanged numbers!~)_ to let him know she'll get what he needs by tomorrow. Yeah, she couldn't just wait for tomorrow.

About thirty minutes later, she gets a text back; _'I need to see you immediately!'_

 _'What? Now? Where?'_ -Caroline.

 _'Come out!'_ -Klaus.

 _What? Come out? He's here?_

Caroline's eyes widen in surprise and she rushes out of her house, only to be surprised even more seeing him standing in front of her.

"Have you lost your mind? What are you doing here?" Caroline says, or rather snarls in whispers.

"Good evening, Caroline!" Klaus says, grinning up at her. "It's good to see you too!" still grinning goofily.

"Get straight into the point, my mom could be home any moment now! What do you want?" Caroline says while examining the road and the neighborhood.

"Well, I just wanted to see you actually." he raises an eyebrow at her.

Her heart lurches at his answer, she feels flattered. But she snaps out of it when she does a quick reality check; he's her friends' nemesis. "Are you serious!?" she narrows her eyes at him looking confused and angry. .

Seeing how angry she seems, Klaus fakes an interest in knowing how she got it, to which she replies with a cold _'I've got it handled!'_. And then she demands that he doesn't interfere and leave it to her.

He gives her a polite nod. They stand in silence before he looks away, hiding his tears. But it's too late, Caroline notices.

"I've killed my own mother, daggered my siblings, and now I have to kill my father!" the same sad expression _she'd seen yesterday_ finds its way back to his face and he sighs heavily.

The sight of him crying makes her gloomy, it saddens her. _Did he feel this way when I cried?_ She knows how hard it is for a man to cry in front of a woman, let alone the fact that he is a thousand years old original vampire! She thinks of consoling him but the sound of their telephone ringing interrupts her. Before entering the house to answer the call, Caroline gives him a tender expression and asks him to wait. She can't possibly let him leave like that.

 _'Caroline, where are you? I called you a hundred times on your cell phone...'_

 _'Mom, I answered the phone so I'm home! Is everything ok?'_

 _'Yeah, don't worry sweetheart! I just wanted to let you know I'll be coming home late. So have your dinner and don't wait for me, ok?'_

 _'Ok mom, take care!'_

 _'You too...'_

She hangs the phone and rushes to the door, "come in!"

 _Oh no, she didn't just invite a vampire into her house!?_

Only she did, and without even giving it a second thought. She didn't think about it actually. All she knows is he's not ok, he needs some comfort, he needs company, _even if he's an immortal blood sucker._

He turns around open-mouthed, _this sweet human young girl has just invited him in. Why isn't she scared of him? Has he lost his touch?_ He watches her for a moment then he steps inside, though his mind tells him otherwise.

She leads him to the living room, her heart is beating fast. She knows he can hear it, and that makes her nervous. She's just invited the world's most powerful creature into her house. She's not scared, _make no mistake!_ It's just that the thought of what her friends would think of her if they find out about it. And her mom! _Oh_ , her mother would freak out if she learns of the news!

None of that matters now, what's more important is this devastated man, _yes man_ , before her. He takes a seat in the azure couch, while she walks in circles in front of him, and she finally sits on the table opposite him. Her hands are on her knees.

"So... I've been thinking... Uhm... look, it's not your fault." she's still nervous. She adjusts herself so that she's sitting more comfortably, "Family can be really twisted, I know that far. And choosing to stand up for your father for your siblings' sake, and burdening yourself with the guilt of daggering them in order to keep them safe," she pauses, looking into his eyes. "you are not the bad guy in this story! Just bear it for a little while, it will be over soon, I'm sure!"

Her voice is soft, but also strong and promising. He doesn't say much, but she's sure her simple words have made an impact on him. She knows he's feeling lonely and hurt, so the fact that she can soothe away some of his pain and show him her compassion really flatters her in some ways she never experienced before.

For the rest of the evening, the conversation turns into small talk. Klaus tells her more about his past and his confrontations with his father over the centuries. She listens and would occasionally trie to make small jokes by comparing his life to hers, which does really make him smile.

.

.

 **A.N.:** Ok, here's the truth, at first I thought of giving our favorite couple a first kiss at this point. But then, I thought it's a bit too early for that. I pictured a better moment already, I assure you! :D

I think things are going to get more exciting from now on. Well, at least I'm excited ! :D

Please review! Yes, your opinion matters! A lot! :)


	6. Une trahision justifiée

_Chapter five: Une trahison justifiée_

Her phone rings. She twists in bed before sitting up to pick up the call. It's Katherine, she's got the moonstone and wants to hand it to Caroline.

She falls back on bed, _'last night was... delightful'_ Caroline thinks to herself and smiles ruefully. It's safe to say she enjoyed, _or rather enjoys_ , his company. He is unique. Those thousand years sure helped him acquire that mysterious attractiveness. Cause, hello? She doesn't run into men as charismatic as he is every day. Everything about him is so glamorous; his presence, his voice, his accent, his expressions, evens his walk.

She shakes her head and wipes the smile off her face when she remembers she has a meeting with the she-devil in thirty minutes. She gets ready fast and heads to the meeting point.

.:.

Unlike her expectations, the meeting with Katherine goes smoothly and quickly. The only thing worth mentioning is Katherine's consistent appeal to Caroline to prevent Klaus from killing her. And of course the fact that seeing Katherine always makes Caroline want to barf. She hates her basically cause she impersonated Elena and fooled everyone, including her childhood friends. She simply hates that she looks exactly like her best friend when she's totally nothing like her, in addition to her arrogant sadistic nature.

Back to the main topic; Klaus!

She texts him the moment Katherine leaves. Although something reminds her that she will be considered a traitor for the gang, and that her friends will definitely look down their noses on her. She's downcast when it comes to that. However, she's positive about one thing; when push comes to shove, she will help him, _again_. She doesn't yet have a reasonable explanation to it, but she feels guilty for the hardships he went through over the centuries. As if it was her fault that life hasn't been fair with him. Sorrow still gripes her heart whenever she thinks of his struggles.

Suddenly, her phone rings. She takes it out, she looks at it for a moment, and then she puts it back in her bag. She can't really talk to Elena now. She has to get to Klaus first.

Her phone rings again. She closes her eyes and sighs before taking it out again. It's Klaus! _Oh, the relief!_ She answers with no hesitation.

 _'Klaus!'_

 _'Hello, sweetheart! Where are you now?'_

 _'Two blocks away from my mom's office. But I'm headed to your house. Why?'_

 _'I'm coming_ _to_ _you!'_

Klaus hangs the phone quickly, leaving Caroline wondering if he is nearby. A few minutes later, he shows up in front of her, _out of nowhere_.

"How do you always do that?" Caroline fakes a frown and holds back the grin, but she eventually smiles broadly.

Klaus chuckles at her forthrightness, "being a vampire has its perks, love!"

If she heard that line from someone else, she would definitely start a quarrel on the topic. But he somehow makes the idea more acceptable to her. Again, she blames his charming voice.

They smile at each other delightfully. She hands him the moonstone and then he asks if she has any plans for the rest of the day. Caroline agrees to accompany him to his house since she doesn't really have any plans. _(~She would cancel her plans even if she had any actually, being around him is more interesting to her~)_ They have a long talk on the way. He basically asks her about herself; her hopes, her dreams, everything she wants in life. He gives her the attention she deserves, or at least she feels like she deserves it.

.:.

He guides her to a very bright room, _many windows she notices_. The next thing she notices is a drawing board and a bunch of scattered papers on top of a wooden table. _He draws? He's an artist? Waw! He's full of surprises!_

He leads her to the table and, _waw_ , the scene exceeds all her expectations. Klaus smirks widely when he catches her blushing, smacking her lips together, glowing with pride. He draws near her and whispers in her ear, "you've become my inspiration!" holding his hands behind his back. Plenty of fascinating drawings of her are displayed on top of that table. The sight is overwhelming. He drew her from every possible angle. His attention to details is remarkable. Caroline runs her hand slowly on the drawings only to reveal more of them. She simply can't get her head around the enormity of effort and time he must've put into it. She stops and turns to him with a blank look.

"Since when..."

"The night I first met you in front of the founders' hall", he fetches a drawing and shows it to her after looking at it for a moment, "you looked rather sad that night."

She glances at it and then she looks over at him with a sparkle in her blue eyes that could not be hidden, her heart is pounding. Her gaze meets his. His smoky eyes are sparkling too. It's obvious; he's telling the truth, _like always_.

Her heart beats faster. She looks away turning her attention to the drawings again, avoiding his gaze. _He's surely full of surprises._

"Ok, if this is a new way of flirting then I have to admit; you've revolutionized flirting! Waw!" Caroline jests cheerfully as she continues to skim through the drawings. Suddenly, her phone rings again, it's _Elena_. Caroline ignores the call this time as well.

Klaus immediately notices her changing expression, "Is everything ok?" he asks anxiously.

Caroline looks over at him with a smile on her face and shakes her. She continues examining the scattered drawings on the table, they're all catchy, but there's one specific drawing that stands out. It's one of a drop-dead gorgeous girl.

"Who is she?" Caroline asks, without moving her gaze from the beautiful piece of art.

"That's my sister," his voice is low, "Rebekah!"

 _Of course she's his sister_. She has his eyes after all. _Waw,_ she's a real life version of the sleeping beauty.

"She's really beautiful!" Caroline says, still holding the drawing and admiring it. She lets her eyes settle upon his face and he nods quietly. "Well, I can't wait to actually get to know her!" she says trying to mend the situation but it doesn't seem to work, his expressions get even sadder. He looks lost, even lonely. She tries to change the topic, "speaking of which, when will the ritual happen?"

"The next full moon."

"Right! Why is that every witchy thing is related to full moons anyway!?" Caroline cries out. This time it works, he chuckles, she feels satisfied.

.:.

Klaus offers to drive her home, but she refuses. She knows he has enough on his plate already and a lot of things to take care of. However, he insists.

Once in the car, she's smiling in the most charming way he'd ever seen her. The reason to that beautiful smile is his simple, yet kind, gesture. All he did actually was opening the door of the car for her, but the thing is no one had ever done that for her before, _ever_. He makes her feel special and wanted. She doesn't feel worthless around him, at all. She knows he definitely noticed her satisfied smile since he hasn't moved his gaze from her even when he started the engine. She feels slightly uncomfortable under his steady gaze.

 _'So this is how Elena feels all the time!'_ Caroline thinks to herself.

Halfway to her house, Klaus finally breaks the silence after what seemed an eternity of silent-moping, "I'm sorry to have dragged you into this, Caroline" his voice is so thick, his face looks soft and sorrowful. She's too young for it. Even if she were superstitious it's still a lot to take in considering her age. He even got her to kind of betray her friends. _Of course he feels guilty!_

"Don't be!" She knew the risks she will be taking when she went against her friends' will. He doesn't have to feel guilty about it. She stretches out her hand to reach his and caresses it, _not entirely sure how she feels about it, she felt like she needed to do it._ "I'm Caroline Forbes!" she shrugs "I can handle it" she smiles warmly at him, her blue eyes twinkling. "Just focus on getting your family back together!"

He stops the car suddenly and turns to face her, his eyes glow as if relieved. "You're not selfish in the slightest, Caroline." unable to take his eyes off her, "I'm grateful, for... everything" Klaus says with a warm surge of gratitude.

He doesn't say much, but somehow she understands what he's aiming for. Plus, it doesn't take a genius to figure he's grateful for her, not for the moonstone, _no_. She listened to him, understood him, sympathized with him, and soothed away his pain and loneliness.

.:.

"Oh God!" Caroline cries out petulantly as she buries her face in her hands when she sees Stefan's car outside her house. _They know and they're here to point their fingers at her._ She can picture them ranting and raving about her betrayal.

It is his turn this time to caress her hand, gently. "At least let me do this with you. Please, sweetheart." She's too smart to decline his offer, she nods in acceptance.

Before she could even get out of the car, the gang comes out of her house; Damon first followed by Stefan and Elena. Bonnie is nowhere to be seen. She takes a deep breath and opens the door. Her heart is racing, she's scared and nervous. In a split second, he's standing next to her, looking very protective. All of a sudden, she doesn't feel lonely or weak anymore. Plus, she hasn't done anything wrong; yes she gave The Original _evil_ vampire the moonstone, but only to protect them from him, _right? How can they not see it?_

She can almost see Damon rolling his eyes. She wishes she was a vampire so that she can over hear what he's saying at the moment. He's probably blurting about her treason claiming something totally wrong. He might even allege that Caroline is having some sort of an affair with Klaus. At least Elena wouldn't believe him, _would she?_

It's not like he has any proof that she's been to his house, _twice_. But she's coming off his car at the moment, with him by her side. As if they're allies, even friends.

 _Oh God, it really looks bad!_

She's nervous again, her heart is beating even faster now. She looks at Elena who is partially hiding behind Stefan. Seeing her best friend avoiding eye contact with her breaks her heart. She freezes in her place.

"Stefan, we meet again!" Klaus is loud and taut. Ironically, he's nothing like that around her. He walks furiously towards them, causing everyone to take a step back in fear. "Don't make fouls of yourselves! You didn't think you could possibly stand up to me, did you?" he openly pours scorn on them as he walks around with pride and a wicked look in his eyes. "Caroline did us all a favour when she saved us the gory fight, so I reckon we should all be grateful to her, shouldn't we? After all, you're still here thanks to her"

 _How can he make a threat soud so deplomaticly acceptable?_

Everyone sort of freeze in their places, _silently_ , even the garrulous Damon. Caroline herself can't say a word, what else can be said? He made it clear he would've hurt, _killed_ , them if it wasn't for Caroline.

"Oh and I do not intend to kill your precious doppelganger! I just need some of her blood!" his voice is back to being calm again, but the wicked look in his burning eyes is still there. "Well then, I expect nothing but your cooperation!" he grins abruptly, the usual mischievous grin.

.

.

 **A.N.:** I'm not sure how I feel about the peaceful-and-kind Klaus so far, what about you? I mean, I like the badass bad guy side of him, so I will bring it back soon, causing Caroline to be confused even more.

He will kill at least two people in the next few chapters, so bear with me for now. :D

Can't wait to read your thoughts about this chapter! :)

So review, please!

BTW did someone mention Klaroline babies? :D Well, you better stick around cause it might happen! ;)


	7. quelque chose inattendue

_Chapter six:_ _Quelque chose inattendue_

Her head is still spinning. She has to keep it together in their presence when she actually wants nothing more than to fall on bed and let everything sink in. Even her subconscious is on alert now. She has to think twice before saying a word, which is not an easy task when everyone is giving her long, cold stares. The situation is so awkward even by supernatural standards. Confusion filled the room.

Klaus is gone, everyone get to speak their minds freely now. _Oh_ , they weren't going to miss that opportunity. Damon takes the first go.

"Having one original bossing us around is a pain in the ass already, Blondie! He wanted to get stronger, and you helped him!? How typically shallow!" Damon slurs at Caroline with a disgusted look.

Usually Elena would defend her, but this time she stands still as Damon continues to ruthlessly censure her best friend.

Elena draws near her gloomy friend and places a hand on her shoulder. "Caroline, tell us the truth, did he compel you? Maybe you forgot to take your vevain shot? Or did he threaten you?" Elena says with an appealing tone.

"I'm sorry, Elena. But I wasn't threatened, nor compelled. I was just trying to do what's best for everyone."

.:.

After the tensed conversation she had with the others, the last thing she wants is her mom walking into her room and seeing her like this.

"Mom! Knock!" Caroline shouts as she sits up and tries to fix her hair.

Liz's face shows anxiety at the sight of her daughter's state, "honey, are you ok? What happened?"

Caroline tries to helplessly wipe the dried tears off her face, "I'm ok, just a bit tired." She turns her gaze to her mother once she's satisfied with her appearance, "what is it?"

Liz knows better than to insist on Caroline to tell about her issues. They've talked about it a hundred times till Liz finally understood that if Caroline wanted to talk about something she would. "I just wanted to check if you have already started your Miss Mystic preparations."

"Uhm..."

"You haven't forgotten about it, have you?" Liz raises a questioning eyebrow.

Caroline rolls her, showing it's something obvious that she hadn't forgotten about it. _Hello?_ She's been excited about this pageant long ago. "Yeah! Don't worry about it, mom!"

 _Shit!_ She's totally forgotten about the whole thing. She hasn't even picked a dress yet! And the dance! _Damn it!_ She was supposed to learn the dance and practice it.

As soon as Liz leaves the room, shutting the door behind her, Caroline falls back on bed. Her head feels heavy, she sighs. It started as the best day of her life _(~thanks to Klaus of course.~)_ but ended as the worst day ever. She falls asleep.

.:.

The next day she decides to go out on a mission to find the perfect dress for the pageant in one day. She wanders the streets for about an hour without actually entering a single shop. She can't get herself to stop quarreling with her subconscious. Such matters may take weeks before she could get over them. Even though she's so convinced she went behind their back to save them, a part of her still nags about betrayal. _Would she have taken the moonstone to Klaus if he hadn't told her about his family?_ No, _hell_ no! The thought strikes her. She shakes her head. _Oh_ , she hates herself for the possibility, she hates him! _Not really._ Actually she doesn't hate him, at all. He's a nice guy, in every way. He's been nothing but gentle and generous with her.

"Now how did I know I'd find you here!" Klaus' voice is soft and husky, and he eyes her speculatively.

 _Ok, he's officially a stalker!_

His voice sends shivers down her spine. In all honesty, she is delighted to see him, even thrilled. But something in the back of her mind tells her she doesn't want to see him, or rather be seen with him. "Go away, I'm busy!" Caroline murmurs dryly.

"Doing what exactly?" he challenges her, "wandering the streets?"

"No!" she narrows her eyes at him. "I'm supposed to be looking for a perfect dress for the upcoming Miss Mystic pageant!" She throws her hands in the air, _annoyed_ , as she looks at the shop-window next to her. "But here I am wasting time and haven't even spotted a decent dress!"

 _'Oh God!'_ She thinks to herself, biting her lower lip.He doesn't even need compulsion with her. She deliberately answers all of his questions. He looks somewhat amused and smiles indulgently at her.

"Need a shopping-buddy?" Klaus jests, but she knows he means what he's saying. "I can play one of the judges!" he raises his eyebrows with his usual _breathtaking_ smirk.

Definitely she wasn't going to turn that offer down. No point in denying how much she likes having him around and spending time with him. She laughs heartily, "ok then, we'll be putting your patience to the test today! Let's go!" her lips curl up in a wry smile and then she walks ahead of him, glancing out of the corner of her eyes back at him. Klaus smiles, his eyes flash with a wicked gleam, and then he catches up with her.

.:.

Throughout the shopping tour, he shows no complaint or boredom yet. _Could it be that he enjoys her company as much as she enjoys his?_

"Are you sure you still want to do this?" Caroline asks from inside the changing room, almost screeching, even though she knows he's a vampire with super hearing ability.

"Oh well, you've only tried nine dresses. I think we're still at the beginning!" his voice is very seemingly nonchalant."Not to mention how delighting it is to see you looking glorious in all those dresses!" He adds.

 _Ok_ , she needs time to process all this, but not here, not now. When she's all alone and can freely speak with her inner-voices. Because he didn't just compliment her in the most obvious way, _did he?_

Caroline flushes, her stomach full of butterflies. She's speechless. Though, the voices inside her head are all screaming chaotically with joy. This mysterious, charming, overwhelmingly handsome man chooses to go shopping with her and finds her looking glorious. _Her_! The small town, insecure, control freak Caroline Forbes! On top of that, he seems very delighted with her. He could've been doing other... _important_... stuff... that any immortal original _vampire_ should do, but instead he's here! _With her!_

She shakes her head and calms her voices. Walking out of the changing room, a slight flush is still obvious on her cheeks.

"Ok, what do you think of this one?" Caroline says as she twirls in front of him, to allow him to see the tenth dress.

His eyes widen, he blinks. He seems speechless for a moment and she lets herself feel a bit proud. He blinks again, "I think it looks astonishing!" his voice is calm as ever.

She pouts petulantly, "you technically said the same thing about all the dresses!"

"Well, your beauty makes anything you wear look absolutely tremendous. But to be of use, this one is my favorite so far!"

It's a shower of compliments! Sure she can handle several compliments from different people in one day, but all those compliments from _HIM_? Nu-uh! That's too much even for her. The voices inside her head are singing and dancing now.

He's obviously flirting with her, _right?_ She struggles not to giggle, but she can't help the blushing.

"Mine as well." she manages to smile dryly. It's enough that he saw her blushing, she doesn't want him knowing how happy she is hearing his continuous compliments. "I like it, specially the back. I'm not sure about the color though!". She shakes her head, "No!" she breaths, "this will do, I can't waste any more time!" She sighs, _relieved_ , "now all I have to do is get on with the dance!"

"What dance?" Klaus raises a questioning eyebrow.

.:.

Ok, she certainly has to adjust her perception of a vampire's life. She thought he's too busy and got a lot on his plate, when he's clearly free all the time. He deliberately _volunteered_ to go home with her to teach her how to dance.

 _Can he really dance? Or could it be just an excuse to be with her? Oh, she hopes it's the second guess!_

She notices one thing; she feels comfortable around him. She's not nervous or something, as if she's known him long ago. Going to his house several times really helped in breaking that strangers-boundary.

He stands in front of her, too close. _Literally close_. He's in her personal space now. He holds his hand out to her, his gaze is too intense. It makes her blush, and slightly uncomfortable. _(~comfortable around him, huh?~)_ "Shall we?" his voice is husky.

Caroline nods, placing her hand in his. Sure she's touched his hand before, but this time the touch feels different, warmer, tenderer, and it sends a sweet tickly shiver through her body. She deliberately surrender herself to him, focusing on nothing more but his voice and his blue eyes. He takes her free hand and places it on his shoulder, pulling her gently into his embrace, curling his arm around her waist. Her breathing increases. Her heart is pounding. _'Oh, he's definitely hearing it'_. The thought makes her hearts beat even faster. She looks over at him. His expressions are a bit impassive, however, she can almost see a trace of a smile on his beautiful lips.

He starts swaying. A song is playing in the background on his phone, he picked it himself. Caroline doesn't recognize it, but she likes it. She follows his steps. _'He can dance! Of course he can! Is there anything he can't do?'_ She's not paying much attention to her steps actually. Her feet are moving on their own in sync with his movements. He takes the lead and she lets him take control and sway her with him. Klaus doesn't disappoint her, he handles her delicately.

 _'Oh God! He's good!'_ So good she wishes time would freeze so that she can enjoy this blissful moment. He's like a _fairytale_ character. _Too perfect._ But he's _here_! And she's in his arms. Caroline Forbes is in Klaus... _Oh wait_ , she doesn't know his last name yet! _Is now a proper time to ask him about it?_

Up-close, he looks more... beautiful. His eyes, lips... _Crap!_ He's smiling, smirking actually. Caroline wishes she can read his mind now. ' _Does he want to kiss me as much as I want to kiss him?'_

 _'What?'_

 _'Keep it together Caroline!'_

The voices in her head are having a pretty heated debate.

 _'But he's so distracting and ridiculously hot!'_ another voice cries out.

The voices suddenly stop when he lifts his hand up to her face and gently tucks a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear. An odd shiver runs down her spine. A kindly twinkle comes into her eyes as she moves her eyes in search of his.

Their eyes meet. His are so blue and smoky. Her heart starts racing again. His other hand cups her cheek, it's warm against her skin. He draws his face near hers. There's nearly two inches separating them now. _Holy shit!_ Is he? Going to kiss her? It's all so surreal. She freezes in place while watching his lips getting closer to her.

Her heart is pounding so fast, as if it's going to leave her chest. She watches as he smiles at her, a wicked cheeky smile, before he moves his head and plants a kiss on her forehead. He draws back a bit, still smiling, looking into her beautiful eyes.

 _'What? That's it?!'_ all the voices cry out at once. She breathes.

The worst part is she is certain he's found out she wanted him to kiss her by the disappointed and confused look in her eyes. _God,_ that's so embarrassing. She wants to bury her face in her pillow right now. _How could she be so dumb!_ Just cause he showed some interest in her or complimented her a few times doesn't mean he'd kiss her! Pff... As if she's a match for him. Forgot how freaking amazing he is? She's clearly not good enough for him. Or for anyone actually! Bonnie and Elena would laugh their asses off if they knew about this. Matt would scoff at it.

She can't even look at him anymore. Embarrassed, disappointed, her body just loosens up completely. She's about to turn around completely when he suddenly grabs her arm and spins her around so that she's facing him again. He swiftly places his hand under her chin and lifts her head up. The next thing she knows his lips are on hers. _Oh boy! What a bliss!_ Once her subconscious recovers from the sweet shock, she closes her eyes and parts her lips, opening her kingdom for his tongue to expertly explore it. His hand slips to her neck. The feeling of his touch and his sweet taste tingle all her senses. Her heart melts, sending her on a trip to her own wonderland.

She comes back to earth and open her eyes when Klaus suddenly stops. He pulls back and looks into her eyes. Their eyes gleaming, sparkling, and burning with desire, they both smile heartily. Caroline moves her hand into his hair. They are kissing again. Their tongues meet and start dancing to a beautiful music that's playing only in their minds, twirling . The beautiful sensation makes Caroline wonder if she's ever been kissed this way before. He's nothing like any other guy she'd known. His hand travels down to hold her waist, pulling her closer so she's flat against his body. He can feel her overheated body now. _Oh_ , her heart starts pounding againg.

Their lips part again when Klaus overhears a roar of a car outside the house and pulls back.

"I think the sheriff is here!" he is smiling widely, their foreheads are still collided.

"What?" Her voice is shaky, she looks bemused, not thinking clearly. The question just came out her mouth before she could process what he said, or the situation as a whole. She pulls away. _Holy crap!_ He kissed her. And she kissed him back. _What does that mean?_ The sweet taste of his lips is still lingering on hers. _Oh_ , now is definitely not the right time for that!

Her mother is about to enter the house and she has to act normal. _Right_ , what is normal? Should they get back to dancing? Or sit on the couch? Should he jump out of the window or something? What will her mom think of the situation?

He smiles wickedly. She knows he knows how confused she must be, but again, it only amuses him. He's fully intrigued by her. Before she could get her thoughts together, Liz enters the house.

"Oh, hello! Caroline, I didn't think you'd be here now!" Liz says, looking over at Klaus, checking him out actually.

"Yeah! Mom, this is Klaus! He's a..." it seems like she's struggling for the right word, "friend! And he's here to help me with the dance."

 _A friend? Really? Is that what he is?_ She glances at him and he looks pleased with that. She feels confident. "Klaus, this is my mother, Elizabeth!"

"Hello sheriff! It's a pleasure to finally meet you!" his voice is calm. He looks smart and polite as ever. He smiles kindly at her holding out his hand, which her mother takes.

"The pleasure is all mine!" Liz says shaking his hand and giving him a cautious-sheriff look.

Caroline stands between the two of them, speechless, confused, and delighted.

.

.

 **A.N.:** I think I've fallen in love with this chapter xD Haha!

What about you? What did you like and what did you hate about this chapter?

All kinds of criticism or suggestions are accepted, even requested. :3

Review and let me know! ;)

BTW, Miss Mystic is on next chapter!


	8. C'est un enterrement, pas un cérémonie

**A.N.:** Please inform me if you find any timing errors in the storyline. I can be a total mess sometimes and forget the dates I've previously decided. :3

Hope you enjoy this chapter!

 _Chapter seven:_ _C'est un enterrement, pas un cérémonie!_

 **.:.**

Trying to look casual in front of her mom wasn't an easy task, but she managed it. Now she can't even sleep. _Well_ , it's hard to fall asleep with the ongoing party, her voices have been having since the... _you know_... _fanciful_ kiss, that's what Caroline calls it. She can't really tell if it really happened or it was all in her mind. It's too good to be true. Butterflies start dancing in her stomach.

The party is hosted by confusion and excitement, with a sparkle of an ignited desire to see him again. All she can think about is _him_. How and when did _he_ sweep her off her feet? She's falling, or rather _fell_ , in love with him. She opens a drawer on the bedside table, and takes out the bracelet. Wasn't she supposed to give it back to him? Well, she's glad she didn't.

She holds her phone, the bracelet still hanging in her fingers, and wonders, _'text him and ask about his last name, maybe?'_ She smiles, intentionally biting her lip.

 _'Seriously?'_ the voice in her head, which now has a face that looks exactly like hers, looks at her with narrowed eyes. ' _You do realize it's almost midnight, don't you? Can't you just wait for tomorrow at least?!'_ the voice scolds her.

Okay, so she doesn't care that much about his last name, it's just an excuse to talk to him. She's dying to know how he feels about kissing her. _God_ , she'd do anything to find out if he's freaking out like her right now.

Suddenly, the phone vibrates in her hands. She glances at the screen and jigs in her bed as if she was hit with an electric shock, dropping the phone from her hands. _Holy crap!_ It's _him_!

' _Evening, love._

 _Still up?'_ -Klaus

His text makes her smile, an all-teeth-showing smile. The butterflies are multiplied and are now dancing so randomly that it feels like fireworks are lit inside her stomach. He has that effect on her even when he's not around. That aside, she has to reply, _right_? But she doesn't want him thinking she's been waiting for him, she's a girl after all. So he has to chase her. Plus Caroline really likes to play hard-to-get. She hopes it's not too late for that though.

Back to the phone, _'what should I reply?'_ she wonders. She stares at it for a moment then starts typing.

' _Yep! Late homework!_

 _You?'_ -Caroline

She hits send, locks it, and then puts it aside. That didn't come out as the straightest thing she'd ever said, but she's out of excuses and can't just let him know she's awake because of him.

It didn't take long for her phone to vibrate again.

' _Can't get you off my mind!_

 _See you tomorrow?'_ -Klaus

' _Breathe, Caroline Forbes! Breathe!'_ She tells herself. _'Thinking of you'_? How can he be so charmingly blunt? His flirty honesty tingles her heart with excitement. She regains her composure and replies to him.

' _After school, maybe!'_ -Caroline

 **.:.**

 _God_ , as if Mondays don't suck enough as they are, now she has to face the censure from Bonnie and Elena. Probably Matt as well, if they have told him. She hasn't heard from them yesterday, which makes things even worse. She did apologize already, there's nothing more she can does. If they don't talk to her then she'll just give them some time. They will eventually get over it, like always. They are her only best friends.

She stands still in the hallway when she notices her friends. Not wanting to make the first step, she stares at them silently with a remorseful look.

Elena looks a bit sorrowful while Bonnie easily manages to look cold as she walks past Caroline without even glancing at her. It hurts! Caroline feels like someone is squeezing her heart. Her eyes darken, she swallows hard, _'let's just get today over with!'_ a voice in her head urges. She walks away without turning back, trying to look dignified. She's popular at school. Hence, she doesn't have to worry about being alone there. Nonetheless, it wouldn't be as good as being around her friends.

For the rest of the day, they all try to avoid each other. Caroline has had enough drama for one day and just can't wait to get home.

 **.:.**

Caroline reaches home around two-thirty and heads to her room, fully flinging her weight on her bed. Her phone rings for the third time. She glances at it lazily. It's Klaus, _again_. She ignores it.

She's in no mood to talk to anyone, even Klaus. Her heart is still aching. Actually, it feels like Bonnie had created a whole in her chest. She feels a huge void in her heart.

She moans in annoyance when she hears the doorbell rings. She blows out a deep breath and lifts her heavy body off the bed. She answers the door with a scowl on her face.

Another electric shock-like hits her when she finds him standing at her door. "Klaus!" her eyes widen in surprise.

"I got worried when you didn't answer your phone!" He looks so worried, for the first time she sees him like that. She gapes at him, silently.

"Are you alright, love?" Klaus asks anxiously.

Her inner voices get her to nod, but she keeps silent.

"Ok, sweetheart, you either come out or make a way in for me!" his lips curl in a slightly relieved smile and he raises his eyebrows.

"Oh," Caroline shakes her head and runs her hand through her blond hair. _Shit_! It's a bit messy. She moves aside letting him step in and then walks behind him trying desperately to fix her hair.

Klaus suddenly spins around, his hands behind his back, and looks directly at her. "I reckon the beauty pageant is in two days…?" Caroline nods and he continues, "So we still need to get on with your dance practice, don't we?" his voice is calm in spite of his sudden movement.

She takes a deep breath. "Well, it didn't go well yesterday" She breathes.

 _Ouch!_

She bites her lip in regret. She didn't mean it that way. The kiss was perfect actually, like a fancy to her. But it's too late to take it back now. He must be feeling offended.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean…" Caroline looks confused. "I just had a really bad day." her voice is so low and her eyes are filled with sorrow.

"I know!"

' _He knows? Really?'_ She wonders if he truly gets what she meant, but then he always does.

"What happened today then?" he asks, looking into her eyes.

 _No pet name?_ Ok even if he gets it, he's apparently _kind of_ offended.

"Friendship drama."

Her short dry reply makes it clear for him that she doesn't want to talk about it. In spite of her evident devastation, he doesn't insist. Instead, he brings his hands to the front. _And_ he's holding a not-so-small bag. He hands it to her.

"Hope it suits your liking!" he says with the sexy smirk that Caroline is now familiar with, but it still sends her heart racing every time she sees it.

A tingle runs down her spine when she reaches for the bag, slightly touching his fingers. "What is it?" She asks taking the bag.

"Open it!" Klaus gently urges.

She does as she's told. She puts the bag and the couch next to her and opens it. There's a small box inside it, she opens that as well. _Oh boy!_ Caroline's eyes widen and glow. She takes a deep breath staring at it. And then she stops breathing altogether.

Even her inner voices are all silent now.

She eventually manages to snap out of it, "waw! That's astonishing! No, I don't think astonishing covers it!" She blinks, _twice_ , and then she shakes her head. "I'm sorry, I can't take this! It looks expensive and you've given me enough already! I don't think I can ever afford this or the bracelet actually!" She giggles slightly after the ugly truth she's just said.

He seems amused – _like always_ , by her reaction. He brought her a blue and silver tulle gown (*) that only princesses wear. _Hello?_ How can her jaw not drop when she sees it!? Her inner voices are already drooling silently.

When he finally stops laughing, _at her_ , he draws near her, a hint of a smile is still playing on his lips. Out of the blue, she feels his gentle lips are on hers. He plants a brief, swift kiss on her lips.

 _Holy crap!_ It wasn't a fancy! He kissed her, again. What does that mean? Does that make them a couple or what? Wasn't she going to ask him about it? Her head is about to explode.

"No, love! I haven't shown you what enough for you is, yet!" his lips curl up in a wide smile. ' _Yet? Is he planning to?'_ Caroline thinks to herself. _(~Thank God he's not freaking Edward Cullen to read her mind! ~)_

"Have you decided your escort?" He interrupts her train of thoughts.

 _Hey! That's called cheating!_ How is she supposed to think of or name anyone else after that kiss, and the one before it? But it's only fair to admit she likes it.

She struggles a bit to gather her thoughts and answer his sudden question, "Uhm…According to the initial plan, it was supposed to be Matt, but…" she loosens her shoulders petulantly in despair and rolls her eyes. Could be because he stopped kissing her!

"Would you consider me as your escort instead?" Klaus says, wearing the same playful sexy smirk.

 _Playful Klaus?_ That's really interesting! _But wait a second!_ What kind of question is that? Of course she'd love to go with him! _Duhh_! All of her inner voices are singing rhythmically a repeated _yes_.

"If you can afford a tux!"

 **.:.**

 _~Pageant Day~_

Being in the same room with Elena had never been this stressful. Caroline tried her best to look busy, but the awkward eye contact moments were inevitable. That aside, she has to focus and look gorgeous. The gown is doing it for her already, and it's making her feel more confident! All the girls, including Elena who is about four feet away from Caroline, are standing up stairs, waiting for the beginning of the event. The mayor Lockwood is in charge of presenting the contestants one at a time to be escorted by the fine men waiting for them down the hall. Caroline skims the crowd quickly; there's her mother looking like the firm sheriff she is, there's the Whitmore guy, there's Bonnie who's still glaring at her, and there's Stefan who refuse to even look at her and chooses to ignore her. And there he is; _'absolutely the hottest guy in the room, even in tuxes!'_ She blushes and smiles to herself at the thought. He's gazing at her with his mouth slightly open. He looks amazed, like everyone in the room, by her beauty. His gaze is flattering and it reminds her of the sweet intimate moments they shared. Caroline grins, delighted at the memory.

She comes back to planet earth when Carol calls her name and she realizes that Tina Fell has already descended.

"Caroline Forbes, escorted by Klaus Mikaelson."

' _Oh, that's his last name!'_ She really should have asked him about it earlier.

' _Mikaelson! Uhm… so prestigious, like him!'_ She thinks to herself, still gazing at him fondly with her piercing blue eyes.

 _Oh, that's her cue!_

She descends the stairway slowly, her eyes are focused on no one but him. Klaus is at the bottom of the stairs, holding out a hand for her. She smiles slightly at him.

Once her hand is in his, everything around them starts disappearing. Nothing else really matters now, except for the two of them.

All the contestants and their escorts line up for the dance. Caroline can't remember the dance correctly, they've only practiced it three times, but she's counting on him. She's not even nervous. _That's a first for the control freak she is!_ She knows she hasn't learnt the dance perfectly but he's here and that's enough to make her feel at ease. The amount of affect he has on her exceeds her expectations.

The music starts playing and she totally surrenders herself to him. Klaus doesn't fail her; he makes her move swiftly on the dance floor, never losing eye contact with her. Their chemistry is obvious to everyone in the hall. There is a special sparkle in their performance that catches all eyes around them. A wry smile on Caroline's cherry lips and sparkle in her blue eyes are giving her face a beautiful glow that lasts throughout the evening.

Caroline feels happy, in spite of the current mess in her life. She seems to forget about all that shit when she's with him. _God_ , his presence is so overwhelming and heartening.

 **.:.**

Caroline walks out to breathe some air, disappointed, even devastated. He disappeared all of a sudden and she has no idea on his whereabouts. Miss Mystic Falls is left with no escort for the rest of the evening! _How embarrassing!_ She reaches up for the crown and takes it off her head to stare at it. Earlier, when she was named winner of the Miss Mystic Falls beauty pageant, she was so happy and excited, even happier to have shared the moment with him. But it's so meaningless now that he's not here. How could he leave her alone at this time? She looks up at the sky and sighs. There are no clouds and the moon looks perfect. So beautiful!

OH, _THE MOON! It's a FULL MOON! Holy shit!_ How could she forget! It all makes sense now; why he left in a hurry and gave her what seemed like a goodbye kiss more than a congratulation kiss.

She runs back into the Founder's Hall to fetch her keys. Unfortunately, she finds Elena knocked out on the floor. She draws near her and vainly tries to wake her up. When it doesn't work, she senses Elena's pulse, only then she realizes that her best friend's wrist is bleeding. She freaks out! Not knowing what to do, she seeks out Damon and Stefan's help.

They arrive quickly. Damon doesn't miss the chance of suggesting that it could be Klaus's doing, referring to him as Caroline's new _'Boyfriend!'_.

What? He's not her boyfriend! Yes, they kissed _a couple of times_ but it doesn't make him her boyfriend.

Damon gets under her skin easily. That's probably one of the reasons to why she hates him so much.

Stefan feeds Elena his blood and little by little she recovers her conscious. She then reveals that Katherine did it and Caroline just can't resist giving Damon the I-told-you-so look.

Reassured that Elena is now totally fine, she heads to where Klaus told her the ritual will take place; his house.

The drive seems to be taking ages for her. All she can see is imaginations of what might happen to him. She's too worried about him. He's a thousand years old vampire, _so freaking powerful_ , yet she can't help worrying about him.

Just before she reaches his house, she notices a fire in the forest next to it. A thought strikes her; that's where it might be happening. _Forest and witches, it makes sense!_

She polls over and steps out of the car, not even realizing she hasn't locked it. She just hopes he's ok. Cautiously, she eases her way to where the fire is; her heart is in her mouth. In the dim light of flames, she spots a body, _no_ two. One of them should be him!

Her feet suddenly freeze on the grotesque sight of him ripping Katherine's heart out. Katherine drops dead on the ground.

.

.

 **(*)N.B.:** yes, that dress! :3 The one in "dangerous liaisons", 3x14! :D I just can't get over it!

 **A.N.:** At this point your opinion about the storyline is highly requested. I need to know if you're enjoying it or not.

I don't know if I'm doing it the right way. ." Ugh! Review, please!

By the way, I apologize to all of Katherine's fans, but I really wanted to see this happen. Yes, I don't like her. Sorry!


	9. quelque soit le moyen

_**Chapter eight:** **Quelque soit le moyen**_

She was about to whimper in shock, but she clamps a hand to her mouth. Her heart is in her mouth, beating so fast. The death of the _almighty_ Katherine Pierce is hard to swallow. Yes, Caroline absolutely loathes Katherine, more than any other person on the whole planet to be specific, but she's not stooping to her level to gloat over her death. In fact, she feels sorry and a tad sad for her.

Every single voice in her head is telling her to turn back and leave. Instead, she draws near him, goggling at him with an open mouth. Klaus doesn't seem proud of his deed. He looks wretched actually, standing motionless in front of the corps. His hand's stained with Katherine's blood.

She freezes in her place again when Klaus turns around, facing her with a puzzled look in his eyes. "Caroline!" he says with a low, appealing voice.

Caroline replies with a shy, barely heard _"why?"._ She's in total shock, hardly recognizing the man standing in front of her. This is the side of him that Damon, Stefan, and the late Katherine have been ranting about, the side that Caroline's been denying its existence. He killed her in a blink of an eye, yes she deserves it for all the horrible things she's done, _but then_ , no one deserves to die like that.

"I'm sorry, Caroline!" his voice comes out thickly as he fixates his sight on the ground.

He's apologizing? _To her? Why_? _Oh_ , that's confusing. She's sure he hadn't just killed her for his own amusement. He must have a reason, even if it's Katherine Pierce who's a pain in the ass for every person she runs into.

"There should only be one living doppelganger!" he says with a brittle voice still avoiding her gaze.

 _For what_? To break the curse?

"By all means, I told you before." For the first time since they've met he seems confused, bewildered and not calm as he used to be.

It strikes her. That line! He said that before; _by all means_. He said he'll do whatever it takes to assure his family's safety, even if it meant killing his own parents.

Suddenly, all of the confusion and fright disappear. She just can't get herself to be mad with him or hate him. She feels like she's all he's got now. And she's right. It doesn't feel right to leave him or blame him for anything. He's gone through hell, and he's clearly not self-righteous. He knows he's done horrible things so no need for her to pour scorn on him.

Caroline takes a deep breath, hence her expressions soothe. She starts walking towards him again as he stands still in his place. The closer she gets to him the more abashed he looks. Her mind goes blank when she finally reaches him, unable to say a word. Out of the blue, she flings her arms around his neck, gently pulling him into a tight warm embrace. She places his head on her shoulder and tenderly strokes his back in comfort as his suffering and agony run from him into her. It is as painful to him as it is to her.

"Let's just get on with this!" Caroline says softly.

 **.:.**

She holds his hand tightly and they walk towards the witch who is now ready to start the spell. Caroline strokes his hand one last time before looking over at him. Klaus nods and gives the witch the cue to start. Caroline then steps away as requested by the brunette middle-aged angry witch who hands Klaus a cup full of blood and tells him to drink it. The witch then starts chanting and abruptly fire starts igniting in the shape of a circle around Klaus. At first, it jolts Caroline, it _worries_ her actually, about _his_ safety. But Klaus gives her a reassuring look. The witch's chanting gets more strident and thus the fire ignites further. Caroline is no longer able to have a clear vision of him.

Afterward, the livid witch takes out the moonstone, still chanting. The stone starts fading away gradually. Klaus screams, _in pain_ – the more the moonstone disperses the more he seems to get hurt. Caroline's heart starts throbbing, and she feels her vision darkens. She bites her lip. He screams louder. His cry of pain hits her ears directly and she quakes with fear. Her heart beats faster and she almost gets herself burned trying to get to him.

"It's done!" the witch says, glaring at Klaus.

Finally, the fire that's been surrounding him stops. And there he is, collapsed on the ground. Seeing him like that, – _helpless_ , frightens her. "Klaus!" Caroline shouts in panic before rushing to him. She calls his name again, as an attempt to wake him up. He doesn't make a move.

Kneeling down beside him, she delicately lifts his head between her hands and positions herself beneath him and then slowly places his head on her lap.

"He'll be fine, don't worry!" the witch says, sounding less plummy.

 **.:.**

She looks over at him– the guy who makes the Salvatores quake with fear and even makes Damon shut his big mouth, is knocked out in front of her, powerless. He looks undeniably adorable and peaceful though.

 _Oh, that's irrelevantly inappropriate now!_

He finally opens his eyes. Caroline, –who's been walking in circles in the room for the past half hour, turns around and checks him up. _Oh, the relief!_ It takes him a moment to realize he's actually in his house, –it wasn't an easy task but she brought him home.

"Oh, finally! How do you feel? Are you ok? Can you stand on your feet?" Caroline sounds like a worried control freak now.

Klaus smiles indulgently at her, "easy, love!' He says, and his voice is husky. He speeds over to her, at full vampire speed– even a bit faster to be precise. To her surprise, he stands behind her and wraps his arms around her, hugging her closely. "Truthfully, I've never felt stronger," he holds her firmly "and it's not the spell's doing!"

Ok, she gets it. It doesn't take a genius to figure it out, but it isn't the appropriate time, is it? She's so _freaking_ worried about him, he better tell her how he feels and whether the spell worked or not!

She smiles to herself, _delighted_. He's a vampire but _still_ , his embrace feels warm and affectionate. She doesn't mind staying like that for a couple of minutes actually, but when it comes to priorities she's too worried about him at the moment. Instead, she shakes her head and rolls her eyes. _(~not that he can see her or something, he's still behind her~)_ "Ugh!" she sighs, as her last attempt to show her fake annoyance.

Klaus notices and loosens his grip accordingly. Caroline doesn't miss the opportunity, she twists around observing him, "So?" she raises a questioning a-bit-annoyed eyebrow at him. "Did it work? Do you feel any difference?"

He releases her completely now, still gazing at her. Without prior notice, his expressions transform; he opens his mouth revealing his fangs which look a bit different–bigger actually, his eyes are different as well. They turn gold instead of blue.

Caroline's eyes widen in surprise, her jaw drops, "Oh my God! Your eyes! And fangs!"

He goes further, bringing his hand up to show it to her. It's transforming as well, becoming more like a werewolf's. It's almost unbelievable– only it is happening right in front of her. He's a vampire, turning into a werewolf. A _hybrid_! The very _original_ hybrid!

Caroline reaches for his hand, wanting to touch it, but he transforms back to normal. She looks up at him and he's smiling, a mischievous devilish smile, like he's just discovered a huge treasure or even a secret weapon.

It worked! It really worked!

 _That's a good thing, right?_

"Now what?" Caroline asks, with a puzzled look on her face.

Klaus smiles at her and keeps quite for a moment before heading to a table next to the mantel. He pours himself a glass of drink and turns back to look at her. He takes the first sip, looking like he hasn't tasted a drink in ages, "It's time we let my father know where we are" his voice is calm again.

She can almost trace a dejected look in his blue eyes. She'd be disappointed if he weren't sad about it. He's his father after all –stepfather indeed, but still he raised him.

 **.:.**

Klaus stops the car in front of the Forbes'. That's when she comes back from his fairytale world to her muddled up life. Caroline closes her eyes, taking a deep breath. A mere imagination of the quarrel she will inevitably have with her mother gives her headache. Her phone died and she totally lost sense of time.

He twists in his seat to look at her. She seems lost in her thoughts, stiffly resting her hands in her lap. Her problems are nothing compared to his. But she'd rather be with him, involved in all his supernatural dodgy life than to have to deal with the nonstopping drama in hers. _Crazy_ — yes, but that's the truth. She hates everything about her current life except for him. He's the only perfectly wonderful thing in her life, with all his complexions.

"What is it, sweetheart?" his unruffled voice snatches her back to the vehicle.

Caroline turns around and her gaze meets his. He's looking at her with empathy and concern. She blinks, but keeps silent. Her mind goes blank all of a sudden.

He leans in closer to her, quirking an eyebrow at her "Caroline?"

She stares at him without a sound for a moment. She blinks _again_. How can he be so humble and kind with her, yet so plummy and hostile with others?

She's still silent.

Klaus brings his hand up and lets it fall swiftly on hers. He's too smart to ask her again. But he caresses her hand gently instead. She lets herself sink back into her seat and shuts her eyes closed under the warm feeling of his hands on hers.

 _Why does it have to be so complicated? Why is she always the one to be judged and questioned?_

She regains her composure, takes a deep breath, and looks over at him with a wry smile on her face. "Don't worry!" she says, releasing her hand from his. She looks away and slips out of the car.

Once out of the car, the sound of metal-on-metal strikes her. Only then she looks on her right to realize she hasn't yet shut the door. She turns back and he's standing in front of her. Out of the blue, he places his hands on her waste and pulls her closer to him.

He pauses for a second, looking into her blue eyes. He obviously didn't buy it. He knows something's wrong. He cups her face in his hand. Leaning down a bit, he gently presses his lips against hers and kisses her. Caroline doesn't resist. She kisses him back. She feels like all the stress crumbles away suddenly.

The kiss is quick. Klaus pulls back and stares at her. "Let me be there for you, love. Don't just cut me off!"

Caroline smiles and nods indulgently.

He leans his back against the car watching her walk away. She stops and looks out of the corners of her eyes back at him. She smiles to herself without turning back.

.

.

* * *

 **A.N.:**

Ok, here's the truth, I've been struggling with depression lately and I hope it's not affecting the story. I hope it's not too dark or something. Is it?

Klaus will face his father in the next chapter, someone will definitely get hurt.

Who's excited?


	10. faire la connaissance de son père!

**A.N.:** So, I've decided to postpone the fight a little more. I want Caroline to get to know Mikael a bit and hear his side of the story.

Hope you'll find it interesting.

* * *

 _ **Chapter nine:**_ _ **faire la connaissance de son père!**_

The phone rings. Caroline struggles to reach her hand out of the bed to the table next to it. She answers without even glancing at the screen.

' _He…ll….o?'_

' _Caroline, you're not up yet?'_

' _Uhm.. Yes! No! I'm up now. What is it, mom?'_

' _Can you step by the office later?'_

' _Yeah, sure!'_

' _Ok, have your breakfast first and be careful'_

' _Ok mom! Bye'_

 _Damn it!_ She overslept.

She checks her phone and it's past eleven already. She stretches in bed. "Ugh!" she sighs. Two days past and she hasn't heard from Klaus. He's even ignoring her calls and not returning any of them. _Is he alright?_ She hopes he is. He's stronger than ever now, stronger than any other creature on the planet actually! He can definitely take care of himself.

Then why isn't he keeping in touch with her _? Did he use her, perhaps?_

And maybe now that he got what he wants he's simply going to ignore and forget about her? _Oh no, nu-uh!_ If that's the case, then no! He doesn't get to play on her kindness and _, let's face it;_ naivety and get away with it!

She decides to do the one thing she knows best; invade his house and verbally assault him till she's satisfied, hoping she'll be alive after it to get a chance to feel good about herself.

 **.:.**

Caroline wastes no time.

After finishing the dropping by to her mother's office, she pays him a visit.

She rings the doorbell, knocks the wooden door, rings the bell again, and then assaults the door once more. _What's taking him so long to open!?Where could he be now?_ She really knows nothing about him.

Klaus is ignoring her, her relationship with her friends is more like a reality version of 'mean girls.' She's so mad at him, at them, and most probably at herself. She wants to fist her hand and hit him in the guts when she sees him.

Finally, the door swings open. _'Oh, so he's alive and WELL! That just makes things worse, for him!'_ she thinks to herself.

"Hello, love!"

' _How does he keep his tone so calm most of the time!? Damn it!'_

She rolls her eyes at him in annoyance, barely stopping herself from attacking him. Without returning his greeting, she pushes past him, slightly shoving his shoulder.

She swings around, with an obvious frown on her face. "What the hell are you playing, huh? You used me to accomplish your goal and now what? You don't want to see me at all?" She lifts her hands and then slams them against her hips in frustration. "I can't believe I turned my back on my friends for you! You know what, no! I shouldn't have come here! You're not even worth it!"

 _Shit!_ He looks amused, as always! Is he even taking her seriously?! _Crap!_ That just adds more fuel to her already burning anger.

Being under fire by Caroline Forbes should not be fun. It's supposed to make him feel ashamed and guilty, not entertain him. He's definitely not supposed to be standing there, leaning on the staircase with his arms crossed over his lean chest and the usual exceptional smirk on his face. It looks like he's watching his favorite comedy play.

"What's so funny?!" she asks sternly as she narrows her eyes at him.

"Your speculations are tremendously witty, sweetheart!"

He really shouldn't be using those pet-names especially when she's this angry!

"What? What speculations?" Caroline shifts her weight on one foot, crossing her arms over chest. Usually she likes it when he is being a know-it-all, but right now not really. It gets on her nerves. How can he act so calm and cool-headed when she's this mad and fuming?

"Look, sweetheart," Klaus finally moves from his leaning position and draws near her. "I'm just keeping you at a distance for your own protection! Until it's safe again!"

"Ok! First, who gave you the right to do so!? Second, you should've at least told me. And third, protecting me from what exactly? Oh please, don't give me that 'protecting you from myself' crap!" Caroline finishes with a challenging eyebrow.

He chuckles.

It irritates her more.

' _Is she missing something here?'_

"Actually, from my father. He might be in town already. And If he learns about you, he may possibly harm you!" he says as if he's cracking a joke, his hands crossed behind his back.

Caroline's hands break free and her eyes widen in shock.

"I'm going to take him out as soon as I trace him! And I don't want you to worry about it."

Oh, waw! She really shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. _Damn it, Caroline! See how ridiculous you look now! Great,_ he's protecting her from his father.

Oh God, he has to face his father! Is he ready? Will he be ok? Can he do it?

"But… Are you ready? I mean, even with all the complexions, he's… your father!" Caroline's voice turns shaky all of a sudden.

"I don't really have a choice, love," Klaus looks at her with a mysterious look on his face. She can't tell whether he's sad or depraved. "It's either him or us!"

Before she could even comment on the situation, a doorbell interrupts them.

 _Perfect timing!_

Klaus excuses himself to get the door and Caroline takes the opportunity and rushes (~unfortunately not as fast as he can~) to where the coffins are. With no hesitation she inters the room and stands between the coffins. In such situations, she knows she should be frightened, but she's not. She's surrounded by four staggered original vampires and yet, all she's feeling is pity and sorrow.

She moves her hand and softly touches one of the coffins, Rebekah's, hardly choking back her tears. "Hang in there a little while more! It will be over before long….. He's doing his best and I'm sure you will all be reunited soon." Her voice is so thick. Her vision becomes blurry as she becomes more tearful.

In the end, tears stream down her face, and she looks away to wipe them as if they can actually see her. Only then she realizes Klaus is standing at the door watching her.

 _Shit!_

 _That's so embarrassing!_

"You can't just count me out of it. Not after everything we've been through! I'm doing this till the very end!" she says with a low voice, more tears running down her cheeks.

Klaus comes forward, throws his arms around her, and embraces her warmly. He gently stokes her hair. She knows he knows she wants to stick by his side till it's all over. She also knows _, now,_ that he doesn't want to risk her life, which actually means she's as important to him as the rest of his siblings.

 _Oh waw!_

 **.:.**

The poor Caroline didn't expect him to arrive too soon. She didn't think he'd be so eager to terminate his family.

She didn't think the meeting with Klaus's father would be him taking her as a hostage.

The way he talked with Klaus on the phone earlier and threatened him keeps haunting her. _God!_ And she thought her relationship with her father was complicated.

She tries to get up, but he's tied her feet to the very uncomfortable steel chair. She chose the wrong day to wear heels. They're helping increase the pain. Her shoulders and wrists hurt since both her hands are tied behind her back. She lifts her head slowly, feeling so woozy.

There he is, again. He's so gigantic, so daunting, with his so well-built body. She notices some nasty scar on his, left arm, neck, and cheek. She wonders how he got them and what kind of fights of battles has he been through.

His presence make the worst scenarios run in the back of her mind. He might, and most likely will, kill her

"You can't judge them, you know!" her voice is so wobbly, because of all the pain.

' _Don't talk to him, Caroline! You'll make things worse!_ ' a voice in her head scowls at her. Seriously, she should not talk to him. His son fears him. What does she expect? To talk her way out of it? No way! Not with this man.

"You're the one who made them like that!" she adds.

"No! We made them stronger! But they turned themselves into monsters!" his voice is so husky and rough. It makes her body shiver, but she doesn't let it show.

She takes a deep breath and tries to calm her voice despite the fact that she's a hostage of the so-called heartless Mikael. _'Shit! That's not helping! Focus Caroline! You have to look strong and calm'_ she tells herself. "They're your children! How could you do that to them! It wasn't even their choice!"

"We wanted to protect them!" Mikael literally yells at her.

"If you're going to kill them now then why didn't you just let them die peacefully as humans back then!?" she shrugs.

' _This is enough! Shut up now, Caroline!'_

"You wouldn't understand!"

"Oh and you do?" Mikael keeps silent, so she decides to rebel and go further, "You shattered every whiff of happiness and chase them out of every settlement they've ever had! How is that fair?"

' _This is not the perfect time to blunt with your big mouth Caroline! If you want to at least have a chance to stay alive then shut up!'_

"My wife and I made a mistake! I have to correct it. It's my duty to kill them." his expressions vary from pokerfaced to blank.

"A mistake?" Caroline raises a questioning eyebrow. How could he refer to them as mistakes? How heartless can he be? "People's lives aren't mistakes to be corrected."

"They are not people! They are monsters!" his face suddenly turns livid.

His words hit her like knives. She swallows, her heart beating like a machine-gun. His murderous look scares the _hell_ out of her.

But that doesn't stop her from defending them and accusing him. "You're trying to condemn and blame them so you don't have to admit the truth!"

"What truth?"

' _Shut up Caroline! Don't say it! You'll get yourself killed! Shut the hell up! He's a Machiavellian who is willing to kill his family, what stops him from killing you!?'_ her inner voices snarl at her.

She looks him in the eye with a mischievous grin on her face. "You're the real monster!" her voice is so calm and her heartbeats drop to normal again.

Her words send him into a wild rage. He dashes to her and chokes her with one hand, so harshly, "listen, kid!" he stares down at her with his widened eyes. "You don't know anything!"

The helpless Caroline closes her eyes in pain and composes herself one last time and says: "I know enough!" before fainting again.

The look in Mikael's eyes was terrifying, as if he's possessed. All she could see in him is the determination to kill his own children. How could there ever be such pure evil?

* * *

 **A.N.:** So guys, how do you imagine Caroline's relationship with the rest of the originals? They will rise soon, so…

Oh and who is your second favorite Mikaelson? (Klaus is definitely everyone's most favorite, right?)

Mine is Kol, but I do like Rebekah as well. I love her character and style. I kind of go crazy on every outfit of hers.

One more thing, April420, myla84 and Lilycantu, I just want you to know that I'm really grateful to all of you. You and your supportive reviews are my motivation!

Love you!

Keep it up, please! :*


	11. fin d'une éternité de haine

**A.N.:** Is there any complaints about the delay of each update? Cause I know I take a lot of time to finish a single chapter, I don't even have any excuse other than this: I have to be alone in my room in order for me to activate my imagination and believe I've never thought it can be this hard to spend some time alone.

Enough blabbing already, hope you like this chapter!

* * *

 _ **Chapter ten:**_ _ **fin d'une**_ _ **éternité de haine**_

It was an insult to her when Mikael literally called her "a leverage". He told her his plan consists of using her to threaten Klaus to dismember her in front of him. And when Klaus hesitates in a moment of weakness he shall end him.

Well he's mistakenly underestimating Klaus. _Too bad for him!_ She knows enough about Klaus to be sure he will certainly have one hell of a plan.

Mikael kneels down and releases her feet. He then releases her hands from the chair but keeps them tied behind her back.

"Get up!" he commands, grabbing her arm firmly.

 _Ouch!_ He doesn't have to be that harsh and tough. It's not like she's going to escape or something. She's barely even conscious enough to stand on her feet.

"What's going on? Are we going somewhere?"

This deserted warehouse seems perfect for a kidnapping and killing. She used to come here with Elena and Bonnie when they simply wanted a hideout and no one found out about it. It's pretty remote. _Why would he change location? But, it's still daylight, so probably he's not._

"Hush!" Mikael shushes her and then turns his eyes to the big rusty steel door. Caroline jolts. The next thing she knows he's standing behind her pointing some sort of a stake to her neck. She glances at the same door he's looking at. _Oh,_ that's why he literally jolted in place. Klaus enters the warehouse in what seems like a slow-motion shot.

A shy trace of a smile appears on her lips. Even though she truly fears Mikael, even his loud roaring voice is solely enough to send shivers down her spine. She didn't want to imagine what he can do. But somehow, Klaus's presence is sufficient to set her mind at rest.

Klaus, _however_ , can't help but show a worried pitiful look when he sees Mikael pointing that stake at her. And it only gets worse when he notices the terrified hidden look in her blue eyes and a few scars on the beautiful skin of her face. The same skin he used to delicately caress and kiss is now hurt by the monstrous stepfather of his.

They exchange an unspoken conversation, which starts with a 'are you alright?' said by his worried eyes, to which Caroline responses with a simple nod.

"You're going to pay for hurting her!" Klaus threatens his father with a loud confident tone.

"Oh, how sweet! The little bastard whining for his bitch!" Mikael sounds so plummy, as his grip on Caroline's hand gets even firmer.

She helplessly lets out a little whimper. His touch is nothing like Klaus's Klaus looks at her with a lot of remorse.

"And how WEAK of you to use an innocent woman, father!" Somehow the word _father_ comes out as an insult.

"You dare call me weak, boy!?" Mikael says gruffly.

It's hard to believe these two had once lived together as a family. There isn't even a whiff of affection or warmth between them. Whatever they once had must've been ripped to shreds over the centuries.

Klaus raises a challenging eyebrow and settles for a wicked smile in response. His smirk only helps Mikael's wrath reach its peak and he shoves Caroline to the ground. She groans in pain but miraculously survives his rough and sudden movement.

With no further quarrels, the tow originals engage in a fight. Caroline, who's still collapsed helplessly to the hard concrete ground, watches unable to trace their movements. They're super fast, faster than Damon and Stefan seemingly.

After a sequence of falling over and standing up again, they stop. Only then, Caroline realizes Mikael's cornered Klaus and is now pointing that same stake to Klaus's heart. _It won't kill him, right?_ Katherine mentioned before that the originals can't be killed. Unlike any other vampire, a stake would just wound them temporarily.

But judging by the terrified look on Klaus's face, who is struggling to hold back Mikael's attack, it might be something else. I might do more than just wound him. Could it be a dagger like the one he uses on his siblings? _But it's wooden!_

Vigorously, Klaus pushes Mikael away and follows him before he could even regain his balance.

' _If it's that hard for Klaus, the original hybrid, to fight Mikael back, then how powerful is he?'_ Caroline thinks to herself.

Her thoughts get interrupted by a surprising yelp of pain. She looks at them; Klaus is standing on top of his father sticking the stake to his chest. With no second thoughts or final good-byes, he pushes the stake further.

Mikael's body gradually starts hardening and changing color until he eventually burns up.

The scenery is horrifying to look at. Caroline rolls her head, shutting her eyes closed. It's even worse than Katherine's death.

 _Weren't they literally immortal? She thought they can't be killed. But the burning corps in front of her…?_

It's an unsolved puzzle. But it's not the right time to try and solve it now. She's just pleased they survived him and now the rest of the family can finally be reunited.

Klaus stares down at his father's corps as it burns up. Even though he's not his biological father and was so cruel to him his entire life, Caroline can notably see his eyes filled with tears of sorrow and remorse.

Slowly, he walks away from the corps towards Caroline. He kneels down beside her and helps her sit up. He then bites into his wrist and feeds her his blood.

She clearly doesn't like the idea of drinking blood, specially a vampire's, but she's too weak to complain or resist. "Come on," he says as he delicately lifts her in his arms, "let's get you home!"

"No! Take me to yours! Your siblings have waited long enough already!"

 **.:.**

He smiles broadly as he walks into the room, Caroline notices. She follows him, slightly shaking. It's more of the anticipation to meet all of them, rather than fear of them. Even the pain she felt earlier, and still feeling it till now, doesn't matter anymore. It's like it's not even there.

Klaus opens the first coffin, _Finn's_. Caroline peeks at it warily from a distance. He's too pale, as if he's mummified or something. Not that she'd seen a mummy before but that's how she imagines it.

"This is Finn, the living conscience of this family. He can be a bit judgmental at times." He says as he not-so-gently pulls the dagger out of his brother's chest. He takes another look at him before moving to the second coffin.

"Elijah, the gentleman, so meek and mild-mannered" he says, before opening the coffin. "He'd always dedicated himself for each one of us but himself." He opens Elijah's coffin and swiftly draws the dagger out of his chest.

 _Ok_ , so he likes Elijah more than Finn. _That was too obvious!_

"Rebekah, my beautiful little sister." He opens the coffin and gently caresses with the back of his fingers. "She's so clever and vigorous. Although she turns into a complete innocent dupe in her pursuit of love"

It's not hard to tell she holds a special place in his heart. He looks at her with a lot of affection he showed to no one else but her. She's his little sister after all, so it's quite reasonable. Swiftly, he pulls the dagger out and moves to the last coffin.

"The troublesome, never-ending pain in the ass, Kol. I don't recall him ever doing something descent. I should probably keep him that way for a bit more!" Klaus says with a wicked tone that makes Caroline so suspicious about his intentions.

She glares at him out of the corner of her eyes, not sure if he's serious about his suggestion or not. He doesn't seem bothered with it though. She rolls her eyes while shaking her head. She then pushes her way through to Kol's coffin and takes the dagger out of his heart herself. "He's super handsome, that's more than enough for me to want him alive." She says, looking at him with narrowed eyes and a cheeky grin.

Klaus chuckles, a _mused_.

 **.:.**

Half an hour's past already and none of them had made an appearance yet. Klaus and Caroline are waiting for his siblings anxiously in the living room. Weirdly, she's been standing on her feet all along with no complaining.

"You must be exhausted. Don't you want to go home now?" Klaus suggests kindly, placing a hand on her waist.

"No! Not before I meet …" before Caroline could finish what she was saying, a fuming feminine voice interrupts her.

"Klaus! You narcissistic back-stabbing wanker! What year is this? How long has it been?" Rebekah grumbles as she enters the room with a lot of panic and fright. She stands a couple of feet away from her brother with tearful eyes.

Klaus turns around still not leaving Caroline's side. He looks at his sister with a smirk on his face, "ENOUGH with all the shouting, Rebekah!"

' _Ok, she's got her brother's temper!'_ Caroline thinks to herself as she peeks at the other beautiful blond over Klaus's shoulder, feeling sorry for her. Actually, she wants nothing more than to run to her, hug her, and tell her it's all going to be fine from now on. She doesn't know how it feels to be daggered, but she is sure it's agonizing.

"Niklaus!" a silvery voice interrupts them. "After all you've done to her, and to all of us actually, I believe you owe her to AT LEAST speak her mind openly!"

Everyone spins around to look at Elijah, who is walking into the room looking very notably unruffled. His face shows no expressions, which is rather confusing for Caroline who can't tell whether he's outraged or not.

' _That has to be Elijah! He manages to sound pretty rational in such circumstances. Now that's impressive!'_ Caroline talks to herself.

Klaus seems like he's about to respond to that but he gets interrupted again.

"Oh and an explanation as well, I presume." Finn points out the obvious as he follows Elijah's steps into the room.

Out of nowhere, Kol comes in, _too fast to even be noticed,_ and shoves Klaus flat against the wall with his left arm. "Hello, Nik!" he says, tilting his head to the side impishly.

' _Oh boy, even his voice is charming!_ '

Without a prior warning, he takes out a broken wooden leg of a chair and stabs Klaus with it. Pleased with his doing, he takes a step back and smiles roguishly to everyone, looking so proud.

"Hello, Kol!" Klaus pulls the stake out, surprisingly not mad at all "You knew it wouldn't kill me."

"Yeah, but it felt good to do so!" Kol says as he eyes everyone; Elijah, Rebekah, Finn, and then Caroline. Her blue eyes are wide open as well as her mouth in shock. He walks towards her, "hello, gorgeous!" He gently holds her hand out and plants a swift kiss on it. "I'm Kol Mikaelson!"

' _That's confusing! On one hand he's a jerk who's just stabbed his brother, on the other he seems very gentleman like'._

Caroline nods and smiles benevolently at him, "Caroline Forbes!"

* * *

 **A.N.:** So yeah, obviously Kol will try to flirt with Caroline. I can't picture it in any different way. I mean KOL and CAROLINE! Of course he'll try to hit on her.

Oh and I hope you liked this chapter.

Don't forget to review! :)


	12. route au pardon

**_Chapter eleven:_** ** _route au pardon_**

Shutting the door closed, Caroline leans on it, exhausted. Her head feels so heavy like she's been partying wildly and endlessly for a whole week. The originals' company is certainly overwhelming already. She lifts her hand up reaching for her forehead. She tries to trace the scar she got when Mikael pushed her on the floor. _And waw_ , it's completely gone! She smiles to herself and shakes her head.

There's a strange feeling she's been having lately. She can't quite get her head around the enormity of her love for him. She risked her life and forsook her friends for him. She's even willing to go further than that for him. But the way he looked at her earlier when drove her home— _like_ she's the most precious person to him, _like_ she's the bright sunshine on a cold day— is priceless to her. He doesn't have to feel in dept to her though. Standing by his side comes naturally to her.

 _'_ _What's he done to you, Caroline Forbes?'_ she thinks to herself and smiles broadly as butterflies rouse in her stomach.

She lifts herself off the door, heading to her room when suddenly the doorbell rings. She spins on her heels with a confused expression on her face. _'Did he forget something?'_ she wonders thinking it's Klaus at the door.

She opens the door. "Elena!" Caroline says, her eyes widening. She did not see that coming. Her heart starts pounding and her mind turns into a complete mess. _'Why would Elena be here at this time?'_

With no prior notice, Elena steps forward and wraps her arms around Caroline and pulls her into a tight hug.

 _'_ _Huh! What the heck is going on?'_ A voice in her head wonders. A day ago they wouldn't even look at her, and pretended like she didn't even exist anymore. And now Elena is at her front door hugging her? Did she miss something? What happened today?

"Oh my God! Caroline, I'm so glad you're ok." Elena pulls back — _finally_ , but keeps her hands on Caroline's shoulders. Noticing Caroline's puzzled look Elena explains, "you… you skipped school today and your mom called us saying she couldn't reach you. We were so worried about you."

 _'_ _Uh, we..? Who else?'_

 _Oh, damn it!_ Her phone died and she completely forgot about it. "God! Mom must be worried sick." she says, rubbing her hand across her forehead.

They both enter the house silently. Elena heads to the living room whereas Caroline makes her way to the fixed-line phone to call her mother since she hasn't returned home yet.

Once she finishes with the call and gets over her mother's worried scolding, she takes a deep breath and makes her way back to where Elena is sitting. It's very frustrating how she feels nervous and awkward around Elena now. _For crying out loud it's ELENA!_ The person she used to act in a silly way, speak her mind freely and actually be herself around.

She breathes.

The look on Elena's face is genuinely reassuring. _Maybe she just got worried and came to check up on her,_ Caroline hopes.

She smiles indulgently at her best friend as she enters the living room and sits beside her. She stares at her hands quietly, not knowing what to say.

Elena breaks the silence at last, "what happened, Care? Where have you been the whole day?"

"Nothing." There's a strange pause in Caroline's respond. She gives herself some time to think. _Is_ _she going to lie to Elena?_ "I was with Klaus the whole day." She drops the bombshell.

Elena and stares at Caroline — _speechless_. She blinks, still lost for words. A barely heard "oh" is all that she could reply with.

Caroline realizes the awkwardness of the situation. But she knows Elena is in no position to point fingers at her. Damon and Stefan's company is no better than Klaus's.

"Look Elena," Caroline twists in her seat to face her friend, "I know that you're worried about me being with him. But you don't have to."

"He's not good for you, Caroline!" Elena yells, feeling slightly regretful after it.

"Well, you don't know anything about him apart from what Katherine said!" Caroline says as she glances up to the ceiling. Taking a deep breath, she continues, "He's really kind to me. He… he puts me first and makes me feel special and wanted in ways I never thought I even deserve. He listens, Elena. And I'm not willing to give that up." Her eyes gleam as she talks about him.

A line appears between Elena's eyebrows as she scrunches up her face, not taking in what Caroline's just said. "But Caroline, you don't need him, you have us!"

"You don't get it. And why would you? You're everyone's first choice." Caroline says with a low voice as her face goes blank.

After a _fruitless_ conversation, Elena heads home leaving Caroline to get some rest. It wasn't totally fruitless though. Knowing her friends still care and worry about her was rather blissful for Caroline.

 **.:.**

The originals' company is surely much better. Elijah had completely forgiven Klaus. He seems rather grateful to see his siblings all together and doesn't want to waste time blaming his brother for the past.

Finn's silence is kind of suspicious. He doesn't talk much—even with his siblings, and he's very difficult to read.

And of course Kol and Rebekah would give Klaus a hard time every now and then as a payback for keeping them in boxes — _which is a bit annoying_ , but overall their bond is so strong.

Caroline spends most of her time with them, specifically Rebekah and Kol. She enjoys helping them adapting to the new centaury change.

Today she's taking them _(~Kol and Rebekah~)_ on a tour through the town. They tell her they lived here once, but that was long ago. The tour goes very well, Caroline takes the lead—Rebekah to her right and Kol to her left, as they walk around the Town Square.

"Time changes, the land changes, but those morons never do." Rebekah declares as she skims the crowd before her. "Look at them! Obsessing over… What did you say it's called? Tech…"

"Technology!"

"Yes, _that_ , and missing out on the beauty of life." Rebekah deplores, slamming a hand on her hip.

"Yeah, I positively agree on that!" Caroline pouts at the ugly truth.

Their inspection gets interrupted by Kol's never stopping, childish flirting with a random girl passing by.

"Good day, love." He greets her. But the girl ignores him, it doesn't bother him though. He's in high spirits today— everyday actually.

"Seriously, Kol?" Caroline scoffs and glowers at him. "Look, you need to lessen your use of such pet names with every girl you run into. It's very…" She pauses searching for the right word, "old-fashioned!"

"Really?" Kol furrows his brow. "Or maybe you're just jealous?" he adds, sticking his nose in the air.

Caroline rolls her eyes feeling disgusted at his suggestion. She looks over at Rebekah —who is smiling delightfully at Caroline's torment over Kol attitude, for help. Rebekah raises her shoulders helplessly in response.

Suddenly, Rebekah stops walking and her eyes widen. "Stefan?" she speculates with a very low, _unsure_ , voice as she sees Stefan walking out of the Mystic Grill.

"What? You know who that guy is?" Caroline looks more surprised than Rebekah herself.

"Yes, I know him!" Rebekah answers dryly and then rushes to Stefan before Caroline could say anything to her.

Caroline and Kol are left with no choice but to follow her. It would be a total shocker if she truly knows him. But Stefan never mentioned anything about her. He never even mentioned knowing Klaus let alone any of his siblings.

"Stefan!" Rebekah calls for him softly as she walks a couple of feet behind him.

Stefan turns around and looks at her, "yes?"

She stops, staring at him with glossy eyes. For a second, it seems like she's about to cry but she fights back the tears when she realizes his confused look.

"It's me," she steps forward, drawing closer to him, "Rebekah." Her voice is so thick.

"I'm… sorry" Stefan blinks, looking puzzled. "I … don't… recognize you." His eyes search Caroline's. "Caroline, what's going on?"

Caroline simply raises her shoulders and shakes her head.

Rebekah's eyes fill with tears. She's too devastated to notice that Stefan and Caroline know each other. Everyone including Stefan himself feels very baffled, they all stare at Rebekah— who is obviously in no mood to explain.

All three of them head back home silently. Throughout the drive home, Caroline wanted to ask Rebekah and try to calm her down, but Kol looked at her and shook his head. It was enough for Caroline to understand it's not the right time to do so. He's her brother after all and he knows her better.

Once they reach their mansion, Rebekah jumps out of the car and runs inside followed by Kol and Caroline— _barely_.

"Nick!" Rebekah starts shouting the moment she crosses the front door. "Niklaus! You cocky bragger!"

Meanwhile Klaus is in his room painting when Rebekah burst in loudly in a very bad mood. "You wiped Stefan's memories of me, didn't you?" Rebekah cries out as tears filled her eyes.

Klaus doesn't say a word, focusing on his work he pretends like he hasn't even heard her. His ignorance intensifies her rage. She grabs his painting and throws onto the wall causing it to get torn.

She finally gets his attention. Klaus turns around facing her with gnashed teeth and a murderous look. For a moment it seems like they're going to brawl but fortunately Elijah forces his way between them and stops them before they start fighting by keeping each of them at arm's length.

Caroline and Kol finally join the others, followed by Finn.

"Rebekah! I'm sure our brother had a good reason!" Elijah calms his sister up. "Right, Niklaus?" he turns to Klaus with raised eyebrows.

"Yes! And none of you have the right to question my decisions! I did what I had to do! For you! For all of you!" Klaus raises his voice. "And what do I get? Criticism and ingratitude." His emotions cause tears to well up in his eyes.

Silence uncomfortably and suddenly fills the room, even Rebekah has nothing to say. They sort of stare at each other blankly. When Klaus's eyes finally meet Caroline, she gives him a look full of resentment and contempt.

Having made sure she's got his attention, she leaves the room.

He follows her.

"You've kept them daggered in boxes!" Caroline starts blaming the moment he follows her into the living room. "Of course they're provoked and frantic. You can't expect them not to be!" seeing him lost for words, Caroline holds his hand and caresses it gently. "Let them express their anger." Her voice softens.

* * *

 **A.N:** Does anyone here ship Stebekah?

Well, I do. Simply cause I believe Stefan is the best man for her, even better then Marcel.

They're good for each other, _non_?

 **P.S:** Would anyone be interested in reading a one-shot about code Lyoko?

 **PP.S:** If you don't know what I'm talking about, then just ignore the previous question. Else, I'm going to post it soon so check it out, s _'il vous plaît!_


	13. s'affranchir du passé

_**.**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter twelve:**_ _ **s'affranchir du passé**_

Things are starting to get complicated. Rebekah knew Stefan. _Knew?_ God, they had a thing! And it obviously meant a lot— to her at least. Then Klaus had to wipe Stefan's memory to ensure they won't leave a trace, which takes him off the blame. But should he give him his memories back now that the threat is gone? But he's with Elena now. What difference would it make? Surely Rebekah would still want to give it one last chance.

Caroline tosses in bed.

 _Why does she have to worry about everything and everyone?_ It's not her decision to make anyways.

She sighs.

"Can't sleep?"

 _Okay_ , she's either hallucinating or being with Klaus most of the time isn't enough anymore that she's starting to daydream about him. _Did she just hear Klaus's voice?_ She sits up and blinks, once, twice. She turns her head towards the door, "Klaus!" she catches her breath— bewildered, when she sees him leaning on the jamb of her door. Even her inner voices are quiet— shocked as well apparently.

"How did you get in here?" She gasps, her eyes wide.

"The front door was open." His voice is awkwardly flat.

She narrows her eyes at him, not buying what he's just said. As far as she remembers she never forgets to lock the door.

"Does it look like I'm a man to break in or sneak from windows, love?" he shrugs whimsically, the corners of his eyes crinkle.

 _Goddammit! Why does he always catch her on the back foot?_ "Maybe…" she smiles delightfully, realizing there's no point in denying how glad she feels to see him here— especially at this time.

"I'd like to hear your thoughts about something that's been bugging me for a while now" **(*)** his expressions hastily close up.

It's obviously something serious. She slides to one side of her bed, making room for him. "Come!" she asks politely as she pats on the bed, inviting him to join her.

"It's Rebekah." Klaus says as he makes his way towards her. "She's been hassling me for the past couple of days. She wants me to compel Stefan to remember."

"Yeah, she told me."

"The thing is though" he pauses until he gets under the covers beside her, "it looks like Stefan's moved on."

"Well I've been thinking about it too and I don't know…" Klaus wraps his left arm around her and she rests her head and her hand on his chest.

 _Oh God!_ Liz would so freak out if she saw him here. Her daughter is alone at home with a vampire! _Oh_ , she wouldn't take it easily. She still can't get over Elena dating Stefan, let alone her own daughter being in a relationship with a thousand-year-old original hybrid.

Well, Liz is too busy working tonight, plus they're just cuddling in bed. Nothing's wrong with that. She brushes the thought off her mind.

"I think you should give him his memories back" Caroline declares, her hand delicately stroking his chest through the thin fabric of his grey v-neck t-shirt.

"Why?" he stares down at her hand, then his eyes move to meet hers.

"Well, they _(~his memories~)_ are part of his past, like a piece of a puzzle. They belong to him." Caroline explains, her hand's moving in circles on his chest now. "Let him, let THEM decide what to do."

He gazes at her, speechless, for a moment and then he lowers his face a bit and kisses her forehead— partially her hair as well.

 **.:.**

The next day after school she heads to the Mikaelson mansion. She runs into Klaus in the entrance hall as he was about to leave in a hurry.

"Hello, love" he greets her with a swift kiss. "I didn't know you were coming."

"Actually… Rebekah called. She said…"

"Caroline!" Rebekah interrupts them, her voice is surprisingly cheerful. "I was waiting for you. Come!" she grabs Caroline's hand and runs off with her, leaving Klaus cluelessly spaced out at their apparently fast closeness.

The girls head into the driveway living room.

"Klaus is going to return Stefan's memories!" Rebekah gasps, her eyes gleaming. She holds both of Caroline's hands and caresses them, "Thank you, Caroline!"

Caroline smiles broadly, seeing Rebekah cheerfully acting like a happy little girl. She cares about her as much as she cares about… _Bonnie and Elena,_ if they only knew.

"I want to celebrate. I want to feel alive again. I want to meet new people." Rebekah's eyes light up. "Will you help me throw a party?"

"Of course!" Caroline beams.

 _'_ _Klaus definitely deserves a pat on the back!'_ Caroline smiles to herself. Beneath the ruthless, merciless vampire persona he likes to put on most of the time, she knows there's a loving and thoughtful brother who wants nothing but to be surrounded by his happy siblings.

She's glad he finally got what he wanted. It came at a high price, but here's his family—together like he wished.

"We definitely need to celebrate!" Caroline murmurs, a flush creeps up her face.

 **.:.**

Elijah walks into the living room to find Caroline walking in circles, cracking her knuckles.

"Nervous?" he asks, plastering a benevolent smile on his face

Caroline purses her lips together and nods. _Of course she's nervous!_ All of her friends are here for the party—not really the party itself. Damon probably persuaded them to come to the party in order to investigate the newcomers and to figure out what Klaus's business with Stefan is.

"Niklaus explained to me your…" he pauses, "situation with your friends. I assume that's why you're tense…?"

"Yeah… they were like family to me, but now they wouldn't even talk to me…" she sighs heavily.

Elijah holds out his hand to Caroline. "Come on!" he urges, "Let's show them what true family is."

He's right. With them _(~the Mikaelsons~)_ there's nothing but love, appreciation, and care. There's no unfair judgments, no despising, no stupid nicknames—only sweet tingly pet names.

She smiles graciously at him and holds his hand. He takes her hand gently and slips it easily through the crook of his elbow.

Caroline takes a deep breath and they head out together. Elijah walks her down the stairs where Klaus is waiting for her. Caroline skims the guests and immediately notices Damon's hateful spying eyes. His steadily creepy gaze makes her nervous again.

She finally reaches Klaus and clings to him—slightly hiding behind him. He caresses her hands in an attempt to ease her anxiety. It doesn't work. She keeps on nervously glancing at the crowd in front of her.

"I suppose you need a drink!" he whispers.

"What?" she asks absentmindedly.

"Sweetheart, breathe!" he urges.

She drags in a hasty breath. "No, I'm fine!" she shakes her head. If she's going to get through with this evening then she need to be fully conscious.

As they stroll around the crowded hall room, they both notice Stefan talking to a man who's fortunately not Damon. Klaus and Caroline glance at each other concurrently. It's an opportunity that is not to be missed. She nods, telling to go for it. But he seems too concerned about her to leave. "Go!" she insists.

His disappearance is accompanied by an unusual loneliness mixed with an irreducible pressure. Her breathing is harder than usual. She looks around for Rebekah who is apparently nowhere to be seen.

Damon and Elena take the opportunity and sneak up behind her.

"Hello Barbie! Feeling like a princess lately?"

Damon's voice is enough to flip Caroline's mood, let alone his stupid comments. She rolls her eyes, taking a deep breath. She forces a smile and twists around to be faced by Elena's worried look and Damon's hateful glare.

"Caroline, What does Klaus want from Stefan?" Elena asks with a low voice.

"What's the real purpose behind this fancy party?" Damon adds, raising an eyebrow.

 _What's with this shower of questions?_ She feels like a suspect in a murder.

"How am I supposed to know?" she has a kind of vacant look on her face, her eyes alternately switch from Damon to Elena.

 _'_ _Okay Caroline you suck even at lying! Damn it!'_ she thinks to herself. This is exactly why she's been nervous the entire evening. She wanted to avoid such situation, but it's apparently inevitable. _God_ , how she wishes she was invisible at this moment.

"Caroline" a husky voice calls her and she feels a hand on her waste and another one gently holds her right hand from behind. She spins her head slightly. _Oh, it's Kol_. "Dance with me, will you?"

On a different day, she would have kicked him in the gut for sneaking up on her and for laying a hand on her waist. Today _however_ , she might kiss him for being there.

"Yeah sure" she fakes a smile and excuses herself.

 _Oh, of course she will dance with Kol. She'll do ANYTHING just to get out of this awkwardly uncomfortable situation._

They rush out to the ballroom—as if their being chased.

"Ugh! Kol, you're my hero!" she breathes.

Kol's cocky twisted grin becomes more evident as he stands in front of her once they get into the ballroom. "Only this one time! I prefer being the villain, sweetheart!" he winks.

 **.:.**

Kol's kept her company, even though it was a bit annoying actually—since every single thing he says is considered as flirt. That's who he is, _'a flirtatious bloke'_ as Klaus put it. She wonders who is he flirting with now, but she keeps looking for Stefan. ' _Oh, there he is!' she murmurs,_ dashing to him.

"Hey Stefan!" She whispers like a sneaky suspect, grabbing Stefan's arm from behind.

He spins around swiftly. "Hey, Caroline!" he squints. "What's with the whispering?"

"Don't ask!" She rolls her eyes. _Duh_! The last thing she wants now is Damon's lack of discernment. That's why she's whispering. Even if they don't want her, she still cares about them. And that's something Damon will never grasp or believe. "How do you feel? Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." He nods.

"Did Klaus…?" she asks, cocking her head to one side, her eyes darkening.

"Jog my memory?" his forehead furrows. "Yeah, he did."

"And…?" she raises an eyebrow.

"There's no AND Caroline. I'm glad to see Rebekah again, I really am. And that's it."

As expected, he's in love with Elena. Caroline's always admired their zing. Simply put, they're true soul mates. "Okay, but fair warning, she's very persistent and has a bad temper and…"

"Caroline!" Stefan interrupts her clearly building up dread his voice surprisingly calm. "I know."

She gasps. _Ok_ , he knew her, he probably knows her better than she does. Plus, it's out of her hands now. She did what she thought was right, now the rest is up to them.

* * *

 **(*) N.B:** At this point you must be thinking "that's so not Klaus. He's so autonomous and would never involve anyone's opinion in his decisions". I'm aware of that and I agree. But, I'd like to believe that when Klaus finally meets the right person ( _Caroline of course_ ) he'd ask for her opinion on such matters, as long as it doesn't endanger her life, _non?_

 _._

 **A.N:** Off topic, who do you ship Bonnie with?

 _Me:_ I ship her with **Kai**. :3 Don't ask me why! I feel like he's the only one worthy of her, even with his psychopathic nature :v

He's one of my favorite characters to be honest. The guy is a loose cannon! :D


	14. doux et inattendu

**_._**

* * *

 ** _Chapter thirteen: doux et inattendu_**

The night was a total failure, that's an indisputable fact for Caroline. Her old friends probably hate her more than ever now—she believes, and Rebekah is miserably heartbroken because she didn't get the response she was expecting from Stefan.

She makes her way towards Rebekah's room. The hallway seems somehow narrower than it actually is this night. Her heart is pounding and her breathing hardens, making it hard for her to think straight. She puts her hand over her chest. "Calm down! This is not the right time." Caroline mutters to herself. She knows she is fit the comforting role. Out of everyone else, she's the one who knows how it feels like to be rejected, to be unwanted. She knows how it hurts to be someone's second choice when they mean the world to you. She's been there. All those sleepless lonely nights, and all the moping, trying to figure out where she stood, she went through it all. Yes, it's totally different now that she has Klaus by her side all the time, _but still_ , she understands Rebekah's situation better than anyone.

But _wait_ , on whose side is she? Elena is her friend too! What is she supposed to say to Rebekah? _'Ugh! Just try to buck her up!'_ her inner voices urge.

With shaky hands, she knocks on the door.

"Go away, Kol." Rebekah yells with a brittle voice through the door.

Taking a deep breath, Caroline opens the door and bursts into the room, "I'm pretty sure I'm not that similar to Kol, or as annoying as him." Caroline jokes, attempting to cheer up the stressful situation.

"Caroline" the blonde vampire gasps, desperately trying to compose herself. She forces a smile over Caroline's joke, but it fades away quickly as she sits upright in her bed.

Caroline sits on the foot of the bed watching her. She stares at the depressed Rebekah for a moment and then takes a deep breath, "when Klaus first told me about you, he went on endlessly about your determination and your stubbornness." Caroline says with a lot of enthusiasm. "He said you'd stop at nothing to get what you want. I admired that about you." She stops and stares at Rebekah—who is brightening a little, and then she crawls on bed and sits cross-legged. "Look, if he's that important to you then you should not give up from the first go! Love is always worth the fight."

 _'_ _You just got yourself a pat on the back. Keep going Caroline!'_ Her inner voices suddenly encourage her.

"Do you really believe I've got a chance against… whatever her name is..?" Rebekah inquires, pouting slightly.

"Elena. Her name is Elena." Caroline tucks a stray of her blond hair behind her ear, her eyes are downcast. "I believe you should give it your best shot so that in case things don't turn out the way you wanted, you won't have to regret or blame yourself later."

 _'_ _There you go! It wasn't that hard was it? Now hold that straight face a bit longer!'_ Her inner voices

The older blonde keeps silent for a moment, allowing Caroline's suggestion to sink in apparently. And then she lifts her head up, her blue eyes sparkling with a gleam of hope. She smiles at Caroline graciously. Caroline smiles back at her.

"So, did Nik really say all that about me?" Rebekah squirms, raising an eyebrow.

"Ye-ah…" Caroline bites her lip. "But let's not tell him I told you!"

Both girls glance at each other and then burst into laughter.

 **.:.**

"Nik…" Kol hastily breaks into Klaus's room as he usually does. Except this time Klaus is still in bed, with Caroline—covered with nothing but the sheets, in his arms.

 _What the!_

Caroline's face turns scarlet, embarrassed. She pulls away from Klaus's embrace, desperately trying to make sure her entire body isn't on full display in front of Kol.

"Kol, knock!" Klaus shouts, seemingly very annoyed at his younger brother's manners.

What's worse than him crashing on them unexpectedly is the delighted smirk he's plastering on his face. He should be embarrassed, not amused.

The irritated blonde glares at him for a second, _'what on earth is he staring at?',_ and then she reaches for a pillow next to her. Without hesitation, she throws it at his face. "Get out, lurker!"

"Alright, alright!" Kol grins—a twisted grin, and slowly walks out of the room.

"I see you've grown fond of my brother!" Klaus states absurdly, slightly cocking his head to one side.

Caroline rolls her eyes, and her head swims with rejection. She's about to roll out of bed when Klaus wraps his right arm around her waist and pulls her to him. She shivers at the touch of his fingers smoothing her hair away from her neck. Softly, he presses a kiss to the soft skin on the nape of her neck. The tingling sensation of his breath on her neck wakes the butterflies in her stomach. She smiles to herself. His lips are roaming down her neck to the blade of her right shoulder. She tilts her head to the side, her eyes closed, she moans under the shower of kisses he's trailing on her neck.

"My gratitude for having met you is far beyond imagination, Caroline. Ever since I first saw you in front of the founders' hall, you've carved a place in my heart I never thought it existed."

She turns around with a bright smile that's lightening her beautiful face. His warm words against her skin touch every part of her. She gazes at him, a sparkle lightening her eyes. She tenderly cups his face with her hand, and then she fits her mouth to his…

 **.:.**

Later that day, while Rebekah is having a drink with Kol in the living room, Klaus and Caroline walk in looking all smiles.

"Oh welcome, love birds! Here to join the priceless melancholy?" Kol smiles, a smile that doesn't reach his eyes. He looks annoyed, peeking at Rebekah out of the corner of his eyes.

"Shut up, Kol!" Rebekah snarls at him, throwing a pillow at his face.

He swiftly leans back on the leather couch, dodging the pillow. "What's with the pillow attacks today?" He shakes his head.

Caroline sits on a couch opposite Kol, unable to hide the rejoiced grin over Kol's complaint.

"I'm bored!" Kol states, lifting his feet and placing them on the inside arm of the couch so that he's lying on it completely. "You're all just sitting here pointlessly! I need entertainment!"

Klaus walks towards the shelf to get a drink. "What are you waiting for? Go on, have at it!" he declares, offering Caroline a drink but she shakes her head in refusal so he takes one for himself and sits next to her.

"It's not fun to go alone!" Kol throws his hands in the air in annoyance. "Bekah is in no mood for… anything actually."

Rebekah scowls at him but doesn't give him much of an attention to respond. Instead she stands up and pours herself another drink.

He raises his shoulders sneeringly, and continues "Finn and Elijah are no fun to be around…" he gripes plainly. "No one's left but you, Nik! Join me! It's the least you can do after sticking a dagger in my heart." He pleads with Klaus.

Klaus finally gives him his attention and considers his little brother's request for a moment before eventually agreeing to it. "Okay. Why not? I didn't have nearly enough to drink last night!"

 **.:.**

"I thought we were going alone, Nik!" the undoubtedly disappointed Kol complains to Klaus who is sitting beside him opposite the bar counter with a not-so- low voice.

"Hey! You know it doesn't take a supernatural creature with super hearing ability to hear what you just said, right?" Caroline scoffs at Kol.

Kol leans forward across the counter, plastering a wide smile on his face, "no offence, darling!"

Caroline's mouth twists in a contemptuous sneer in response. In case it's not obvious, she doesn't enjoy his company that much either. She wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for Klaus who dragged her out with them.

He leans back in his seat and takes a sip of his drink. "Honestly though, the last thing I expected was Nik settling for a mortal" he says, twirling the glass in his hand.

Klaus finally puts down his drink and turns to Caroline who is sitting on his right. He looks at her, his eyes sparkling with affection. Their eyes meet fondly. "She's no ordinary human. There's more than meets the eye to her, Kol." He takes her hand and caresses it.

Caroline flushes crimson. Her heart's pounding. Yes, she's used to receiving compliments— _mostly about her appearance_ , but she knows she's more than just a pretty face to Klaus. That's why her heart will never get used to his flattery.

"Oh…" she whimpers all of a sudden after she shyly looks away avoiding his mesmerizing gazes. Color drains out of her face at the sight of Stefan walking in accompanied by Damon, Jeremy, and Elena. _Complications!_ "Shall we go somewhere else now?" she suggests to her companions.

The boys sense something wrong from her strained voice. "What?" Kol inquires, turning his head to where Caroline's eyes are gazing. "Well… Well… Isn't that the guy who turned down our sister?"

She nods, staring at them.

Kol —who's oddly looking excited, drinks the last sip of his drink and places the glass on the counter. "Some pleasure, at last!" he says, getting on his feet.

 _Oh boy, it can't be good!_

He darts towards Stefan and stands in front of him— stepping into his personal space. He studies him for a moment—making him very uncomfortable.

"You've got some nerves, I have to admit. You spurned my beautiful sister. And for what? This" He eyes Elena with a lot of loathing that she slightly confines herself, "mere mortal!"

The young blonde knows it's not the right time but she feels offended—again. What's his problem with _'mortals'_ anyway?

"Uhm…" Stefan tries to find his voice, looking very calm. "It's none of your business, I think! It's between me and Rebekah!"

Kol grins, a psychopathic serial killer's grin that frightens the hell out of everyone. "Perhaps I should explain how it is my business then!"

In a blink of an eye, Damon's on the floor with Kol's firm grip on his neck and knee on his gut. Stefan tries to interfere but with his free hand Kol pushes him away. "It's none of your business, I think!" He narrows his eyes, grinning again.

It looks as though he's really having fun.

Caroline jumps off her seat, shaking at the turn of events.

The situation takes a sharp turn for the worse when Kol sticks his hand inside Damon's chest aiming for his heart. "Is it your business now?" Kol inquires, his voice is terrifyingly calm.

Watching Damon getting his ass handed to him by his little brother, Klaus grins— amused apparently. Caroline glance at him bemused, her eyes widening in panic. How could he be so at ease— _even pleased_ , seeing his brother go berserk in public?

"You people sure know how to make a one hell of a first impression!" Damon says with a strangled voice under Kol's grasp.

"Kol," out of the blue, Rebekah shows up looking very incensed. "LET HIM GO!" she growls.

 **.:.**

At the Mikaelsons'.

"You ruined everything! That's what you always do, you bloody sabotaging yobbo!" Rebekah shouts.

"And you're the same old pathetic weeper!" Kol says, with an annoying smirk on his face.

Rebekah's eyes widen, "I'm a _pathetic weeper_?" She gnashes her teeth and looks around for something to throw at him. A wooden chair is what she sets her eyes on. Grabbing it quickly, she throws it at him with all her vampire strength. At that exact moment, Elijah walks into the living room. He nearly gets hit with it. Everyone sort off freeze in place. He takes a quick look around to get the situation. Caroline is terrified to some extent. Klaus, however, is amused.

Elijah draws near Caroline, "I apologize on behalf of my siblings. As you can see it's not always so peaceful in our family!"

* * *

 **A.N.:** ok, in the name of God, can anyone explain to me how does someone ship Kol and Bonnie? I'm sorry, but I can't… I just… I don't like it! They're not fit for each other no matter how I look at it. God, I'd ship him with someone like Katherine, but not Bonnie. He deserves some one reckless, carefree. From my perspective, no one is good enough for him, so he's better off single!

.

Btw, don't worry I'm not bringing Kai into the plot unfortunately. xD


End file.
